Scherzo con Somma Passione
by Affrettando
Summary: Priorly titled "Full Circle". In which Katarina attempts to play match maker. Semi-hefty amount of OOC-ness, fluff, and all my weird ships. Collection of oneshots, marked complete but will be added to at my whim.
1. Full Circle

HI. So I got a pm about my story Addicted. BUT… it's on hold for a little bit longer, because of lack of ideas. I've gotten part of what I want to happen down in my head, but unfortunately, it really isn't enough for me to get another chapter out yet. I'll get around to it eventually, I guess. I don't intend to leave it hanging in limbo forever, but please understand that it may take awhile.

I really wanted to get something out though, especially since I've been all over tumblr and fanfiction (And I've been playing A LOT of league) and now am filled with extremely shippy feelings, so please understand that this one shot is merely one of self-indulgence. So expect a lot of GL pairings. Heh. Also expect a decent amount of OOC-ness and fluff. Part of this is also inspired by SilverOfSoul's _Wounded_, except not quite as her story is unfinished and there are too many details that I can't explain in a short one-shot.

Also this is rated T, for containing implied mature themes.

* * *

**Full Circle**

Main pairing: Diana x Leona  
Guest starring: Ashe x Katarina

* * *

Diana ran a hand through her hair as the last of the summoning magic ebbed away and she found herself in the waiting lobby for her team. She rolled her eyes at her company, not the least satisfied to see her teammates. Not that she didn't have a particular dislike for nearly everyone else, but she there were a special number of people that happened to get on her nerves. Today wasn't exactly her day, as most the members gathered were those that she didn't particularly get along with. Not that she had a major problem with Teemo, it was more like his adequacy in a match was often questionable and reliant on the skill level of the summoner. More often than not, the little yordle was often nowhere to be found in a pinch or a particularly brutal team fight. The frost archer, Diana supposed, was probably the most tolerable person present. She was smart, reliable, and left Diana to her own devices, exactly as she liked it. And then there was the too-chipper-to-be-real Lux, who's ramblings tended to give Diana a migraine. The cheerful girl had already greeted Diana and then proceeded to talk to no one in particular of the trivial matters of her day. Diana secretly harboured a special unnecessary dislike for her as her fighting style was quite luminant, which in turn reminded Diana of someone else's abilities.

Her silver eyes briefly met a pair of bright gold as she scanned her team. The owner gave her a curt nod in greeting, from which Diana sharply turned away and scoffed. Diana pretended not to see the look on Leona's face when she did that. What was that expression? Contempt? Hatred? Loathing? Something else?

Diana gnawed gently on the inside of her cheek, tuning out all the noise around her. Lux was currently rambling something about team strategies that Diana didn't care much for. She fought however she wanted, and no amount of incessant pre-game, teenaged babbling was going to change that anytime soon. She sighed, it was going to be a long game.

* * *

The beginning of the match went off without a hitch. No surprises from the enemy, and every member of their team was off to an even start. Diana squinted through the overgrown foliage of the jungle, surveying each member of her team, making sure each lane was doing well. Despite her aversion to the chatty light mage, Diana had to admit that the young girl held her own well. Likewise, despite his size, the yordle was dominating where he was. It was almost laughable at how Teemo was keeping the brute Darius at bay.

Diana shifted her line of sight to where Ashe and Leona were facing off against Caitlyn and Soraka. Although Caitlyn was notorious for being an impeccable shot with her rifle, Diana felt like they would probably be able to win out their lane as well, so much if nothing went wrong. She was just about to direct her attention elsewhere when she spotted movement from the brush. A magic sigil that Leona had placed in the river glowed ever so slightly, granting Diana vision of the figure lying in wait. Katarina. Diana cursed, mentally chastising Lux for not having notified the team earlier.

Leona and Ashe were too focussed on their targets to heed Diana's mental warning, and engaged upon Soraka who had stepped slightly too far forward. Not surprisingly, the two made quick work of the starchild, but both were completely caught by surprise when Katarina jumped from the brush ambushing the two. Katarina dove straight for Ashe, knives at the ready, only to be stopped at the very last second by Leona's shield.

"GET BACK." Leona shouted with her back to the frost archer, trying to defend herself as she began to back away as well. Diana broke into a sprint to join the fray as well, adding the confusion.

Diana swore again as she felt another one of Caitlyn's bullets rip through her shoulder. The magic inhibitors placed upon her prevented her from unleashing her full power at the moment and she too was forced to begin retreating. Katarina gave her a cocky smirk before dashing back into the shaded darkness of the river. The trio began to call upon teleportation magic to send them back to the summoning platform when suddenly the sound of a gun being loaded was heard. Diana looked around; Caitlyn must be readying a shot for someone, but whom?

Leona. She had taken the brunt of the damage from the skirmish, and Caitlyn was sure to finish her off. Before she could comprehend what she was doing, Diana made a dash to stop the shot, without realising how injured she was as well. The resounding gunshot went off a split second before Diana's world turned black.

* * *

Moments later, Diana felt the pull of summoning magic pulling her back into consciousness.

"What happened?" She groaned, rubbing her head.

"You took the shot for Leona." Ashe said curtly, extending a hand for Diana to grasp. Diana accepted the cold hand gratefully and pulled herself to her feet. The aforementioned sun warrior was nowhere to be seen, the magic link between the five team members told Diana that Leona was already heading back to lane, fully recovered. "I don't know why you did something as rash as that, especially since I was prepared to block that without having to surrender a kill to them."

"Force of habit." Diana muttered.

"Well, I can't say that you doing so didn't just make it a little more difficult for us, but we got the first kill bounty, so I'm sure we'll be able to manage."

Diana merely grunted in response as she stepped off the dais and headed back into the darkness of the jungle.

The rest of the match went off without any further 'complications', and their team pulled through with a win, although having very few moments of agreement between the team members. The five champions all stretched out their aching joints when they were pulled back into the summoning lobby.

Diana was the first to step off the platform, making a beeline for her room where she would enjoy her solitude. She strode purposely down the corridors, not noticing she was being trailed until she was nearing her assigned room. She let out an exasperated sigh and turned on her heel, poison seething in her tone. "What do you want?"

* * *

"Ah…. Not here… Mmph!"

A chuckle, "I didn't hear you complaining about this last night."

"We're in public." The other hissed in response.

"Yeah so? No one comes down this part of the corridors."

"We're still in public."

"Aww, you're not still upset about earlier." The second voice cooed.

The conversation was abruptly ended by the sounds of an altercation occurring just around the corner.

"Ugh, what does it take to get a little privacy around here?"

"I told you we're in a public place." The first teased, while tugging gently at the other's belt loops. "We'll continue this later."

"Fine, fine. You go make yourself scarce before someone sees you here. I'll go check out what the commotion is."

* * *

"You gave Caitlyn a boost up that we didn't intend for her to have." Leona pointed out in an accusatory tone.

Diana shook her head in disbelief before responding. "Is that why you followed me over here? To bother me about a minor detail that no one even cares about? Besides, it was your oversight that put you and the archer in danger anyway. You would have died yourself if I hadn't been there in the first place."

"I didn't ask for your help. Ashe was reading to intercept anyway. No one asked you to help."

"Well SORRY for trying." Diana snorted.

"Why did you do it anyway?"

Leona's question caught Diana off guard, her tone softer than the previous words. Diana found the emotion in her voice unreadable. Then again Diana was always poor at understanding the intentions and feelings of others. Was it shame? Perhaps the sun warrior's pride was wounded in the act. Or maybe it was… something else? Diana dispelled that thought instantly. That was out of the question.

"It was nothing okay? Something stupid I did because I wasn't thinking. You're just so useless that you need protection from others, by the people that you need to protect."

A hurt expression crossed Leona's face. "Sorry." She muttered in response. "I didn't mean to blame you. That was wrong of me. I was thinking too much of-"

"Nothing. You were thinking too much about nothing." Diana cut her off coldly, not wanting the other woman to finish her sentence. Diana had an inkling about what Leona was about to say, and she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want the past to be brought up, or to hear the dissappointment and loathing Leona must have secretly harboured since the incident. The way Diana spoke indicated the end of the conversation. Understanding, Leona nodded curtly and left.

Diana let out a deep sigh, and relaxed, letting the tension she had unknowingly built up in her body fade away. She turned to enter her room when she was interrupted yet again.

"Trouble with the girlfriend?"

"What do you want, Sinister Blade?" Diana crossed her arms, turning to face Katarina. "And she's not my girlfriend."

Katarina grinned smugly back at her. "Well aren't you a sourpuss?"

"Right back at you, kitty."

Kat frowned. "That wasn't funny."

"Really? Well I thought it was. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a nap to take."

* * *

The dining commons in the Institute of War was always bustling with energy, as would be expected of a place designed to house the many champions of the warring states. There were your Demacians, your Noxians, your Ionians, Freljordians, there were the loners and every other faction of Valoran. Sometimes people made friends and acquaintances and tended to sit with others, but you would almost never see a Demacian ally mingle with a Noxian and vice versa.

Diana found it all a very trivial matter. It was almost like primary school back with the Solari. Children forming their own silly cliques, and making their own clubs while keeping others' out. She was about to grab food to have on the go when she heard her name being called. She almost groaned aloud when she saw the owner of the voice to be the nosy redhead from before. Diana contemplated ignoring her, but figured she had nothing better to do, before she walked over to where Katarina was seated by herself.

"What's your problem?"

"I felt like you needed to make a new friend." Katarina flashed an almost Cheshire-like grin at the other woman.

"Seriously? That's what this is about?" Diana asked in disbelief.

"Pretty much." Katarina shrugged.

"Since when was the sinister blade so benevolent to assist in the social lives of others?" Diana mused.

"Since you and Miss. Chosen-of-the-Sun decided to make a loud fuss in the corridors earlier today."

Diana groaned. "That was nothing. It was just a little argument about the match."

"You mean the match where you lovingly saved her from Caitlyn's bullet, mmhmm."

"Oh my god will you stop insinuating that we're lovers?"

"You're not?" Katarina purred, "What a shame, you two just looked so good together."

"I... what?" Diana felt her face colouring.

Katarina chucked, "What? You don't think so? Personally I think it'd be pretty… hot… Y'know? You and that ginger, alone, doing unspeakable things to one anothe-"

"Stop. What do you want and why are you trying to play match maker?" Diana cut off the assassin. "And what do you know about any of this anyway?" She added just under her breath.

"Hmm, I wonder…" Katarina mused. "Well, there isn't much to do in our free time anyway, and needless to say, you have piqued my interest. I think you and the uptight hot head would look really good together. Besides, your tiff earlier interrupted _my_ fun."

Something about the way Katarina had said that tipped Diana off to the meaning behind those words. "Are you seeing someone?" Diana asked, not exactly sure where her sudden interest came from. Perhaps maybe Katarina could help her with her little… predicament. She quickly pushed those thoughts away. Those personal thoughts weren't exactly ones she could share willy-nilly with just anyone. These were private matters from a time long gone. Being upset about them would solve nothing. Telling a completely unrelated person she wasn't particularly close to would be pointless.

"Am I?" Katarina countered, a sly grin spreading on her face once again. The assassin's attention was suddenly diverted, and she quickly got to her feet. "I'm going to get some food for us to chat over."

"I can get my own food, Katarina."

"No, I've got it. Don't worry about it. You wait right here." Katarina winked, before striding purposefully to the cafeteria area. Diana's gaze followed the leather clad woman as she walked towards the food platters, and straight into Ashe. Diana's eyebrows shot up as she watched the situation unfold. The way the trained assassin had _accidentally _bumped into the warrior. The lingering touches that would just overlooked by the casual observer. Diana watched as the pair conversed before Katarina broke off and returned to their table with two plates of food.

"Grilled cheese? I don't even like this." Diana remarked offhandedly. Watching as Katarina's face remained in a too-wide grin even at the jibe.

"Take it or leave it."

Diana shrugged and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully before making a comment. "The Freljord Queen? Are you for real?"

Katarina stared bug eyed at Diana, before swallowing her own food and responding. "A little too obvious just now, wasn't I?"

"Well considering how you were just all over her, yeah… Just a little bit."

"I wasn't all over her." The redhead hissed.

"Uhuh. Right. Just like how she isn't a married woman."

Katarina crossed her arms, giving Diana an unreadable look before proceeding to explain, "It was a political marriage. Their unity was a symbol of the unity between the Avarosan and the barbarians. It sure as hell messed up the Noxian pacification campaign. Through their marriage, the barbarians are now allied to Freljord. It's an arrangement that benefits both the Avarosan and the barbarians. There is no romance or intimacy in their relationship, so I am told. In fact, I'm pretty sure the knuckleheaded _King_ is probably off frolicking with some young summoner girls as we speak. Likewise, their Queen is also free to seek companionship herself, so long as everyone keeps hush-hush about it."

Diana mulled this information over. "So… you and her… She's like a quick fu-"

"NO!" Katarina abruptly cut her off. "No, she is not." She stressed, rage suddenly entering her tone.

Diana was taken aback by the sudden anger and protectiveness Katarina displayed. "Ohhh, I get it. That's why you're being so nice. It's because you're all lovey-dovey with the Avarosan Princess now. You're just so happy and in-love that you just feel like you need to share it with the world but you can't. Oh my god, you are so screwed. The Kat's been de-clawed!" Diana exclaimed, chuckling to herself.

"… You are so lame."

"Or you could say, she's like your Kat-nip. Get it? Kat-nip? With a K?" Diana almost exploded with laughter. Any bystander would probably think she was in the midst of concocting an evil plot.

"I don't know why I bothered trying to talk to you in the first place."

"But you didn't deny it. Admit it, you are so whipped."

Katarina's face burned almost as brightly as her hair by this point. "This isn't about me. Shut up right now before I stop talking to you."

"No one asked you to talk to me in the first place."

"Well I still think you need help getting together with that lover-girl of yours."

"Would you stop that? I don't love her anymore." Diana quickly clasp a hand over her mouth, cursing herself for being too caught up in the conversation.

Diana refused to look up, knowing full well that that cheeky grin was back on Katarina's face. Diana felt her face reddening.

"Oh so you don't love her anymore… Really. How intriguing." Diana could practically hear the smile in the assassin's voice. "Now this story… I really need to hear."

* * *

"So Diana slaughtered all the Solari elders, fled and hasn't spoken properly to Leona since?"

"Pretty much."

"And this about them having a so-called history?" Ashe asked, pulling the linens of the bed further up to her chin.

Katarina shrugged, "That's all she would tell me. She didn't go into any details, but from the sounds of it, they were probably more than just friends." She turned on her side to look up at the archer, a smile already forming, "Which by the way means you owe me a hundred gold."

Ashe groaned, "Why is it you are so good at this?" The two have had an ongoing game in which they bet small amounts on the relationship between certain individuals. "I don't even want to know how you found out about Ahri and Sona… Is it sad that the only one I ever got right was Ezreal and Taric"

"Who by the way are no longer together."

"Where'd you hear that?"

"My gossip mongering younger sister of course." Cassiopeia was a social butterfly and despite having her appearance drastically changed, much of her initial demeanour remained. She was still a nosy busy body who constantly needed to be in-the-know. Which, admittedly, was a hobby that acted as an asset for Noxus.

"To be honest, I'm surprised she hasn't found out about us." Ashe shivered slightly when she felt Katarina's deft fingers lightly graze up her bare thigh.

Katarina hummed, "Well… Let's put it this way. You and I both know we need to keep this on the down low, so I've taken extra care to keep this quiet."

"Which is why it is completely sane and safe to sneak me into the Noxian corridors to your room every night?" Ashe chuckled, giving a contented hum as Katarina began to draw patterns on her hip.

"Besides, even if she catches wind of anything, I know for a fact…" Katarina's voice suddenly dropped, and she leaned in, whispering into the frost archer's ear. "She wouldn't dare." She gave her lover's ear a playful nip before descending into giggles.

Ashe chortled, "If only people could see you now, the deadly Katarina Du Corteau, fraternizing with the Queen of Freljord."

"That can hardly be fair. I'm still quite the same cold-blooded killer."

"Yes, of course, which is why you care so much about the relationship between our two Solari acquaintances."

"To be fair, I think the sexual tension between the two could be cut with my blades." Katarina retorted before snuggling up closer to the cold-bodied queen. "They're never going to sort anything out unless you push them in the right direction."

Ashe nodded in agreement. "And from what I know of Leona, she would not be so quick to make judgement of a person, much less a person dear to her without hearing their side of the story." She added. Ashe enjoyed conversations like this, wherein she could experience a side of Katarina that had not been shown before. The assassin's personality had taken quite a thawing since when they had originally began to interact, however much of that was only seen by Ashe herself. She liked it that way.

"Probably... And speaking of sexual tension…" Katarina started, fingers tangling into silver locks as she captured her lover's lips with her own.

* * *

"You want me to TALK to her!?" Diana exclaimed incredulously at the redhead. "What is this? Children's school? Where we're supposed to hold hands, say I'm sorry, and everything will be okay again? Forget it."

"You haven't even tried."

The two were now in the training halls, which were shared by all members of the League. This was the main location where many champions interacted with one another despite alliances, as many had to share equipment with one another. Sometimes, there were friendly (and not-so-friendly) spars held under the watchful eye of the surveillance orbs situated around the facility. Today was a slow day, many champions were out participating in matches, so the area was quite deserted. The only other champions present were Akali and Irelia. Diana was seated against a training post, watching as Katarina threw her knives at the hanging targets with deadly precision.

"I don't need to. I kind of killed her people? Remember? She hates me and wants nothing to do with me."

"You make it sound like she hasn't shed any blood herself." Katarina replied indignantly.

"If you mean on the fields of justice, that doesn't quite count. Leona wouldn't hurt the ugliest of bugs."

"Wouldn't you know?"

"She has a point you know." Diana directed her glare at Ashe, who didn't look away from her own target. The center of the disc was already pierced with multiple arrows, and coating the entire target with an icy sheen. "From what I've heard, it seems you never even had the opportunity to converse with her."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"From the sound of it, it seems there is. So I suggest you swallow your pride for just a little bit and give it a shot. Speak of the devil, here's your chance now."

Diana's gaze shot up in panic, and she saw the archer wave Leona over.

"Ashe." Leona greeted curtly with a nod. "Katarina. Diana…" She greeted each in turn, slight confusion on her face. She could understand Ashe and Katarina sharing training equipment, but she couldn't quite fathom why Diana was there.

"Good afternoon." Ashe greeted in response.

Katarina turned her attention to the new arrival as if that was her first time today acknowledging anyone other than Diana. "Fancy seeing you here, Radiant Dawn."

Leona eyed the assassin warily.

"Don't look at me like I'm going to stab you." Katarina teased, enjoying watching the other woman squirm. "Actually Diana here says she wants to spar with you."

"What?" Came the almost simultaneous reply.

Katarina elbowed Diana in the side as discretely as possible before continuing, "She says that it's been awhile so she would like to spar with you. Isn't that right?"

Diana shot Katarina the coldest glare she could as she got to her feet. "Yeah. What she said." She began to mentally kick herself at how idiotic she must have sounded at that moment.

Leona regarded the situation, wary that there seemed to be some sort of ulterior motive or mutual understanding between the two assassins. Prior to this day, she had never seen the two interact, it would be foolish not to be suspicious of the entire situation.

"Alright." She finally responded, quickly taking control of the situation, she added, "But if I win, you and I are going to have this talk that you have been avoiding."

Diana could practically feel Ashe and Katarina's gazes even with her back turned to them. She could imagine the latter with a smug I-told-you-so smile as well.

"And what if I win?"

Leona thought for a second before answering, "I will owe you a favour. I will do anything you want me to do within reason. Like a debt for you to collect."

"You sound quite confident, setting the stakes so steep for yourself." Diana noted as she rolled up the sleeves of her tunic.

Leona shrugged as she wound her hair back with a ribbon. "You and I will have this talk."

"We'll see about that."

Diana made the first move, striking low. Leona reacted quickly jumping backwards. "I'm not the same meek girl you knew back on Mt. Targon." Diana warned.

"It would be foolish to think so."

Diana leaped again, this time aiming blows for the face, which were deftly deflected. Diana ducked as Leona retaliated with a fist of her own. She analysed the situation. She had only fought on the fields of justice against Leona, never having spared physically with the other woman before. She knew Leona had a tendency to fight defensively, using her magic and swordsmanship as a means of protection for her allies. She didn't quite expect Leona to be so much more brutal in her movements upon hand-to-hand combat. Her movements were much more forceful and lacked the elegance she usually carried on the fields.

Diana was suddenly taken by surprise as Leona feigned a low kick before shifting her weight to dive at the white-haired woman, knocking the wind out of her and pinning her to the ground.

"The Rakkor…" Leona panted, "Are brutal in their teachings." Diana had forgotten that Leona had grown up among the warring Rakkor tribes. Their battle traditions were well known to the peaceful Solari, having branched and broken off from the Rakkor many centuries prior. It was a stupid thing to forget, that Leona hadn't always been among the idle sun-worshipping people as she had. Diana felt her anger boil up within her. She wasn't about to lose to someone who lived in the peace and acceptance from the same people that shunned the moon warrior.

"You may have your upbringing, but you are soft, Leona. And that is what makes you weak."

Diana felt magic swell within her, and burst outwards, knocking the other woman off her. She stood, slowly walking to the dazed redhead. "You don't have the intent to kill. You don't have the strength that I pull from this hatred. The hatred I carry for everyone who has betrayed me. The hatred that comes from deep within me. The hatred that I know you yourself have for me. You have it too, but you are far too soft and innocent to ever gain strength from it the way I do."

Diana's hand began to glow with lunar energy as she gazed down on the woman before her, anticipating her next move. Leona got her feet and looked up at Diana with an expression that she didn't expect to see. She had expected to see contempt, hatred and disgust. Instead, she all she found was concern.

"You think I hate you?" Leona took a step closer to Diana, who responded by taking a step back, hand still upraised. Leona ignored it and kept stepping closer and slowly enclosed her hand around Diana's. The energy faded. "Diana. I don't hate you."

Diana felt her heart swell. Understandably so. For the past several years, she had been outcast from the very people who were supposed to be her family. They hated her and tried to kill her for being different, and knowing too much. Everything she had done thus far was on her own.

_Not everything_

Old memories resurfaced. Ones of summer day picnics, evening stargazing, lengthy overnight library excursions. She hadn't always been alone.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, Leona spoke softly, "You were supposed to wait for me that day. I was supposed go with you to the elders…" She trailed off. "I was so frustrated at you. You left without a word or explanation. The slaughter of the elders unexplained. You left me behind."

Leona closed her eyes, before continuing. "You were always like that, so eager to run off on your own and do things yourself. People had a hard time understanding you, so you felt so very alone. You aren't alone, Diana."

Diana could feel her knees shake. This assurance wasn't quite what she expected. It was something that she had been internally seeking. She had felt so hated, and so alone and disjointed from the rest of the world. No one else had ever made her feel so safe before. Old memories of times long gone continued to resurface. Ones she had forgotten in her plight of hatred.

Without realising it, she found that she had embraced Leona. Her familiar and comforting scent enveloping her senses. Then, as if a dam had been broken, she began to weep.

* * *

A few things. I'm aware Leona and Diana didn't have much interaction prior to the whole heresy fiasco, but I'm just playing around with fluff and events.

Also yes, very OOC in some aspects. Sorry. (Though I do also mentally picture Katarina as the playful tease type).

I got really sleepy near the very end, so it just becomes a mess at the end but w/e. I wanted to end it. Was a bit shorter than I wanted it to be but WHATEVS. Maybe I'll rewrite the latter half of the story later. BLAH. I know things aren't going to be ironed out THAT easily, but this is a fluffy one shot so YAH. OKAY. NO1CURR IF IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN LIKE THIS, JUST LET ME INDULGE, OKAY? (And yes, I do ship DianaLeona, AsheKat and AhriSona [Because boobs] very much).


	2. Double Not-Date

SO…. Full Circle was supposed to be a oneshot. Unfortunately, some people didn't know it was a oneshot and have asked me to continue. SO I THOUGHT… WHY THE HELL NOT? And so now here's a little more with more fluff. IDK, I might just make this a fic where I throw in all my fluffy oneshots. I changed the title, since "Full Circle" Was only supposed to be for the first oneshot anyway.

90% of this chapter was written in the ungodly hours of the morning in which no-sane person should be awake. This is also un-beta'd and hasn't be proofread so expect a lot of errors.

* * *

**Double Not-Date**

Main pairing: Diana x Leona  
Guest starring: Ashe x Katarina, Ahri x Sona

* * *

"What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"Forget it, it's a stupid idea." Diana mumbled, trying to dismiss the idea she had suggested.

"You can't say that for sure until I hear it." Leona replied, needling Diana to repeat herself. "Come on, try me."

"Well… I was wondering if perhaps we could… go somewhere. You know… Since we're always here at the Institute of War, and I can't return to Mount Targon with you when do, but I was considering a temporary change in location… for… bonding… purposes…?" Diana trailed off, this wasn't normally the type of conversation she ever felt herself having. Even prior leaving the Solari, she was always shy and closed off. Leona had initially been the one to coax her out of her shell.

Leona cocked her head, eying Diana curiously. "Diana… Are you asking me out on a date?"

"NO! I mean… yes? I mean no. I'm… ugh." Diana harrumphed, crossing her arms, "I told you it was a stupid idea."

"By all means no! Diana, I would love to." Leona replied, beaming.

"Really?"

"Of course." Leona leaned backwards, propping herself up with her elbows to look up at the sky. It was currently late evening, the stars twinkling brightly without a single cloud obscuring the view. The two were now seated in the fields just located outside of the institute, which proved to be a perfect location for stargazing. It was a habit they had taken to many years ago, not long after they had met. Although Leona was a good fighter, intelligent and witty, she wasn't particularly good at some aspects of schoolwork. She had particular trouble remembering constellations, and Diana, who had vast amounts of astrological knowledge, had taken it upon herself to tutouring Leona on the night sky. Although there was they needed to mend between them, as a lot had happened since then, this was an activity that they easily fell back into upon the rekindling of their relationship. "I would love to, Diana. In fact, I think it's a great idea. We never did anything together when we were still with the Solari, especially since we didn't think the elders would approve very much."

"So you're saying that it was completely a good idea that I killed them all."

"That isn't what I'm saying. That isn't funny, Diana." Leona reprimanded.

"Sorry."

Leona sighed, "Although I don't condone what had occurred, I know you had your reasons. And you have explained it to me as best you can, and I do understand, but please, stop making light of it. I know you're using it as a way to desensitise yourself from what happened, but please don't do that."

Diana shrugged in response, not sure what to say. There was too much hatred and betrayal for her to truly let go of the past, but the thought of how it would disappoint Leona was bothered her just as much.

"I know you're trying, and that's what really counts." Leona said, sensing the other woman's discomfort and reluctance. "Now, what did you have in mind for this not-date?"

"Well I was thinking we could go sun gazing instead." Diana replied, a mirthful smile spreading on her face as she gratefully accepted the topic change.

Leona chuckled, "I'm sure I would be fine, but unless you want your eyes to suffer, I hope that that isn't your actual suggestion."

"I was thinking we go to Ionia the next weekend that we're free."

Leona raised an eyebrow. "Ionia?"

"Yeah, actually, I found out Ahri somehow owns some sort of lounge/club type joint or something. I hear it's kind of classy, though I was told Ahri feeds off the sexual energy of the atmosphere or something, since she's not allowed to eat people's souls through sex anymore."

"Uh huh… And how did you find all this out?"

"Heh, that's the thing." Diana rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "It wasn't exactly my idea. Um… Kat proposed the idea."

"Katarina? Are you going to finally tell me why you've been in cahoots with her lately?" Leona teased.

Diana reddened, it wasn't as if she was embarrassed to be associating herself with the Noxian. She could associate herself with whomever she wanted. However she wasn't quite yet willing to admit that the cocky assassin had anything to do with helping her mend her friendship with Leona. Her pride wouldn't let her. "She came to me… Well anyway, she kind of brought up the idea of it suggesting that we go with her."

"With her? You two are suddenly quite close." Leona remarked with a smile, only teasing as she knew Diana must have her reasons for keeping to herself.

"What, are you jealous?" Diana smirked, "She's bringing a plus one."

"So it's a double date."

"NO! It's… not..? Yes?" Diana stuttered.

The redhead laughed at Diana's reaction. "Okay then, it's a double-not-date." Leona stood, brushing herself off. "As much as I enjoy this, it's getting quite late, and I have a match tomorrow, so I'll be taking my leave for tonight."

Diana nodded, looking up at the other warrior. Even in the dark of the night, and without donning her armour, Leona still managed to seem like she emitted a light glow herself; truly worthy of the title as the Radiant Dawn.

"Good night." She murmured, still a little unused to having to properly greet people again.

Leona seemed to pause for a moment, before kneeling again, and giving Diana a light peck on the cheek.

"Good night, Diana."

* * *

"I don't understand why we can't all travel together." Leona remarked as their ship neared the dock.

Diana shrugged, "Well, Katarina isn't exactly welcome here. I think she's taking some sort of private transportation here or something."

"Seems like a lot unnecessary preparation for just a date. This plus-one must be something." Leona commented. Diana hadn't told Leona whom Katarina was bringing because apparently she thought it would amuse Leona as much as it did her. Leona suddenly wobbled on her feet.

"You okay there, Red? You're looking like Snowdown came early this year."

Leona blinked, "What?"

"Your uh… face is a little green. And your hair is red… nevermind."

Leona snorted, "You are such a weirdo sometimes. I'm fine it's just… I'm not too keen on boats. I'll be fine soon, we're docking now anyway."

"The great Chosen of the Sun is seasick?" Diana laughed incredulously. "I didn't really expect that."

"I've lived on a mountain my entire life, I'm much happier with solid ground under my feet, thank you very much."

"I did too, and you don't see me complaining."

"Diana please."

"Just so you know, from now on, whenever you lose a match against Nami I'm going to hold it against you."

"Diana." Leona scolded as sternly as she could manage.

"Okay, okay!" Diana held her hands in mock surrender, a smile dancing at the corners of her lips, "I'll stop. We're docked anyway. Why don't you head off first and I'll grab our stuff for us okay?"

Leona nodded and gratefully made her way to the ship's gangway.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Leona inquired as they looked up at the establishment, trying to take it in fully.

"According to the address, yeah." The two were standing in front of a traditionally styled Ionian building. It was the largest building in the general vicinity, and occupied its own separate lot. "Yeah, this is a lot more than what I expected." Diana couldn't even fathom as to how Ahri could have afforded such an endeavour, but she imagined it involved the use of Ahri's skills and much coercion.

"Oh good, you guys made it here in one piece." The pair turned to see that a cloaked figure had approached them. The voice, however, was extremely recognisable.

"Katarina? Isn't that get up kind of suspicious looking?" Diana questioned, an amused expression on her face.

"Better than walking around in my full glory." Katarina chuckled in response. Katarina pulled out a set of keys from under her cloak. "These are for you guys. The lodging entrance is just around the corner, you can get up there through the lounge area, but it'd be hard lugging your stuff through all the people. We're on the third floor, you guys are first room on the left."

Diana's eyes bulged, "This place has its own inn!?"

"That and a dance club in the underground levels that opens after sundown." Kat smirked from under her hood, "Yeah, I think Ahri is just a bit kooky too. Why don't you guys go put your stuff away and freshen up. I really hope that isn't what you're going to be wearing because you would be a bit underdressed. I'll meet you two back down in the lounge."

* * *

"This place has its own everything." Diana exclaimed as they opened the door to their room. "Wow, this place is bigger than my room back at the institute. It even has its own kitchen."

Leona laughed, "Someone's excited."

"I've never been to a place like this before." Diana replied in wonder, as she walked into another room. "Hey uh… problem."

"Hm?"

Diana poked her head out of the doorframe. "There's uh… only one bed."

"Oh." The redhead looked back blankly.

"I mean… I could sleep out there if you want. We don't have to both sleep in the bed. Not that I mind sharing a bed, but if you don't, that's okay, I'm completely fine with-"

"Diana it's okay. One bed is fine. Don't worry so much." Leona cut off Diana before she could continue on rambling.

"Right." Diana nodded. The conversation trailed off as the two stood awkwardly in silence, staring at one another. "I'm going to get changed… in here… You can change out there." And with that Diana retreated into the bedroom and shut the door.

When Diana had finished getting ready, she straightened her dress feeling more than a little awkward. It had been a long time since she had worn something that could be called pretty. She even had to go out to purchase an outfit for the occasion. It almost made her feel normal, which was something that she couldn't exactly associate herself with being. She gave herself a once over in the mirror provided, before gathering the courage to knock on the door.

"Go ahead." The voice called from the other side.

Diana swung open the door to take a step out and stopped her tracks. Leona turned around at the sound of the other woman entering, and gave a small twirl. "Is this too much?" Leona asked, wincing a little. The Solari warrior was dressed in an extremely flattering red dress, with half her hair pulled up in an up-do.

Diana took a second to find her voice again. "No, you look great. You really do."

Leona laughed, "You're not so bad at cleaning up, yourself." She held up an arm, "Shall we?"

The white haired woman stared back dumbly, not sure what the other had meant. "Uh what?"

"You're supposed to take my arm, silly. Let's go."

Diana awkwardly looped her arm with Leona's, suppressing back a flinch at the sudden feeling of warmth against her side. She could feel the blood rush to her face, and she turned away slightly to hide her deepening blush.

"I feel completely out of my element right now." Leona remarked when they arrived down in the lounge. The lounge was dimly lit, not unlike that of modern Demacian lounges, with an Ionian flavour to the décor. Pleasantly mellow music could be heard, setting the atmosphere. Not surprisingly, despite it only being early evening, the entire area was packed with people. However, they had trouble finding Katarina herself. The pair looked around trying to see if they could spot a conspicuous cloaked figure, or an even more obvious Noxian assassin, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Ah hold on." Leona said suddenly, leading them towards the platform where the music was coming from. The band on the low set stage bore no familiar faces save for one, who immediately turned her attention to the pair as they approached.

"Sona! What are you doing here!" Leona asked. The Maven didn't respond. At least, to Diana it seemed that way. Sona continued to pluck at her etwahl, even with her gaze focused on the two.

"You play here every weekend?" Leona responded, surprised.

"You can understand her?" Diana whispered, feeling extremely awkward to be seen the way she was by another champion of the League. She suddenly had the feeling that she wanted to bolt away.

Leona nodded, a distracted look on her face as she listened to the chords being played, "She says we're in a private booth-Oh! You don't have to take us there, don't you have to play?"

Sona shook her head and nodded at the band members before leaving the stage. The band easily picked up where Sona left, covering her parts of the piece with other instrumentation. Diana and Leona followed the blue haired woman through the lounge, past the low tables and the already-getting-tipsy patrons until they reached a wall of sliding doors, each appearing to be a private VIP booth.

The Maven led them to the first set of doors and opened them, motioning for the pair to enter. Leona led the way and was stopped dead in her tracks by what she saw.

"ASHE!?" She exclaimed. Diana couldn't help but burst out laughing. The look on her face was absolutely priceless.

The Freljord Queen, who had been leaning into Katarina's side, looking at a drink menu, smiled at Diana. "You didn't tell her?" she questioned, sounding quite amused.

"She told me it would be more fun to surprise me, but when she said that I was expecting a different type of surprise."

Katarina, who had be extremely focussed on the drink menu suddenly looked up and narrowed her eyes, "What did you expect?"

"Well… I'm not sure. I was expecting someone like Garen."

"GAREN!?" The assassin almost shouted incredulously, "That knucklehead!? Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"Well there were rumours…"

Katarina snorted. "I wouldn't date that idiot if he were the last person alive. I have much better taste than that," she retorted, turning up her nose.

Sona who had been watching the whole exchange interrupted with a short tune on her instrument. Katarina instantly looked towards Ashe, who merely nodded at the blue haired maiden. The musician turned and left, closing the sliding door behind her.

"She says she'll leave us to it and perhaps join us later." Ashe translated afterward.

Diana gave a sidelong glance towards Katarina, who shrugged, saying "It must be a bot-lane thing."

Ashe motioned for the arriving pair to take a seat before speaking, "We weren't sure what you liked to eat, so we haven't ordered anything for you yet. If there's anything you want from the drinks, feel free to say so, but I think what we've requested must be more than enough."

"For you," Katarina pouted.

"Just because I care about my liver doesn't mean that I can't hold my liquor." Ashe countered as she handed a menus over to Diana and Leona.

"You just embarrassed because you can't keep up with me without getting absolutely smashed."

"That was one time, and it's nothing to be embarrassed about. I just don't want it to happen again," an uncharacteristic blush dusting the archer's features.

"Who says _I_ don't wanna see it happen again? It was pretty damn sexy, I have to admit." Katarina chuckled, leaning in to kiss Ashe on the nose. She paused as she was about to lean back in her seat again, before taking the other woman's lips in a slightly more passionate kiss.

"You two are disgustingly adorable, did you know that?" Diana piped in, "I'm practically hurling over here."

"No need to be so embarrassed about it," Katarina replied. "We're all friends here."

Friends? It was strange how the four of them came together in this manner, when many hours of their days were spent fighting each other two the death on an enchanted battle field. Each of them had 'died' by the hand of every other person present at least once during this time. It was strange how situations could occur and even the most mortal seeming of enemies could end up like this, as friends.

"I'm not embarrassed." Diana scoffed, as she felt her face heat up.

"Really, then why are you two getting so red for? Isn't this normal for girlfriends?" Girlfriends was also a strange word for Diana. She knew her relationship with Leona was more than that of friends, but could they be considered girlfriends? It wasn't exactly as if Diana lacked commitment, the term just had a sense of finality and intimacy that she wasn't sure exactly applied to her. She wondered what Leona thought of it.

"Unless…." Katarina smiled, that oh-so-cheeky grin that Diana had grown to understand was a precursor to Katarina saying something at someone else's expense. "You guys haven't even gotten down and dirty yet."

"Oh my god." Leona muttered, hiding her face in her hands. Diana's reaction wasn't much better, as she just gaped opened mouthed at Katarina, who's smile grew, almost threatening to crack her face.

"YOU HAVEN'T." She cackled with glee, getting to her feet in her excitement. "Well aren't you two adorable?"

"Katarina, stop making fun of them and order your alcohol." Ashe berated, gently pulling the redhead back into her seat.

"Fine."

* * *

Several hours later, Katarina had finished her umpteenth shot, and slammed the glass back down on the low table. The four had spent the time casually socialising. Any political or otherwise talk was quickly steered away from, and Diana actually found that she had begun to enjoy herself. However, the more drinks that Katarina downed, the handsier she seemed to get with Ashe. This last shot seemed to spark a particularly intense make-out session during which Leona and Diana awkwardly sat in silence through.

Both were extremely grateful to hear a knock at the door interrupting the other two from one another. The door slid open to let in Ahri and Sona, the former of which was carrying more liquor. "Did someone order a bottle of our finest drink?" Ahri purred, or was that her natural way of speaking, it was impossible to tell. She set the bottle down on the table, and motioned for Diana and Leona to scoot over to accommodate her and her companion.

"Everyone enjoying themselves?" She asked, leaning to the side to drape her arm over the Maven's shoulder, who responded by snuggling comfortably into the Ionian's side. Diana and Leona both looked at the sight, the question, however unasked, was implied.

"Yeah, they're together." Katarina comfirmed.

Diana shook her head in disbelief, "There are way too many secret relationships going on."

Sona smiled in response, and leaned over, tapping a rhythm on the table. Her etwahl was nearby as usual, but from her seat, it would be impossible to play it. Diana looked at Leona, expecting a translation, but only good a shrug in response. "I only understand when she's playing the instrument."

"She says that we weren't really much of a secret. No one seemed to notice because people seemed to just chalk it up to me being me." Ahri translated for them. She then picked up the bottle she had set down earlier, "Now who wants some more booze?"

Katarina's hand immediately shot up, earning stifled laughter from her peers. Perhaps it was just the alcohol, but Diana found conversation flowed more naturally than she expected. It was perhaps past midnight when Ahri suddenly stood up and clapped her hands.

"Alright, it's getting late, and you guys look hammered." She declared, evidently unimpaired by all the liquor that she seemed to have consumed as well. "And as much as I wouldn't mind consummating your relationships here in my lounge, I think I might be tempted to join in and get in trouble with the missus over here, so I'm going to politely request you guys go back to your rooms before any of you pass out."

Diana stood up stretching out her limbs. She felt only slightly tipsy, having not had as much to drink as some of the others in the room. She watched as Katarina stumbled, trying to pull Ashe out of the room, who was attempting to throw Katarina's cloak over the belligerent drunk's head.

"You know you can't just waltz out there, okay? I'll come with you, just hurry up and put this on." Ashe chastised, only sounding slightly annoyed.

Katarina yanked the cloak over her head sloppily and slipped her hand in the Freljordian's, practically yanking her out of the booth.

Diana watched the spectacle with amusement until she felt a tugging at her dress. She looked down to her side to see a dazed Leona looking back up at her, her face almost as crimson as her hair. "I don't feel like I can get myself back upstairs on my own." Her voice barely above a whisper.

Diana instantly felt the blood rush to her face. The Leona before her was nothing like that she had ever seen before. Back on Mount Targon, Leona had been an intimidating figure, one that she admired from afar upon her arrival. Becoming friendly with her happened overtime, and it wasn't something that Diana kept track of, but Diana could pinpoint the first occurrence in her memories. She had been secretly out moon-gazing, as the Solari tended to punish Diana for going out late at night, when Leona had found her. Initially Diana expected to have been reported, but instead gained an unexpected friend.

She wasn't quite sure when she had begun to develop feelings for the other woman, but what she did know was that when she killed the elders in a fit of rage, she found she couldn't face the disappointment and hatred that she thought Leona would harbour for her. She had wanted very much so to fit in with her peers, but the prospect of Leona hating her had cut her deeper than anything else. At the time, never did she think that they would eventually reconcile.

Now Leona was standing before, intoxicated and practically clinging to the white haired woman's frame. She had looked so vulnerable, nothing like the heavily armoured warrior she often faced on the fields. Diana sighed, and leant downwards to allow Leona to throw her arm over her shoulder, who muttered a quiet thanks in return.

"If you can't hold your liquor, you shouldn't have had as much as you did."

"I didn't know I was this much of a lightweight." Leona whined. Diana stiffened as she felt the redhead's warm breath against her neck. "Come on Sunshine, walk with me, I can't carry both our weights by myself."

"Are you calling me fat?" The Rakkorian chuckled, sending more shivers down Diana's spine.

When they reached their room, Diana lightly placed Leona on the bed.

"I'm not helping you change." Diana stated plainly before leaving for the bathroom. When she returned, she found Leona had changed and was lightly dozing on the bed, clothes strewn in a messy heap on the floor. Diana tutted fondly before climbing into the bed next to her, keeping her back to the other woman.

A few moments past before she felt a pair of arms snake around her waist.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"I am sleeping. You're dreaming."

"You know you're really clingy when you're drunk?"

"Shut up, I'm sleeping."

"Woah there, is my snark finally rubbing off on you?" Diana felt, more than heard, Leona's chuckle of a response.

The two lay in silence until Leona quietly broke it, "Earlier, Katarina called us girlfriends."

Diana's breath hitched, the conversation returning to her. She wasn't exactly sure why Leona suddenly brought it up, unless she was mulling it over in the same manner than Diana had been.

"Yes, and?"

"Like how she and Ashe are. They really aren't faking it or playing around... you can tell them mean a lot to one another. Is that what we are? Girlfriends?" Leona asked, almost as if marvelling at the word.

"Do you want us to be?" Diana asked, turning around, silver eyes meeting a molten gold pair.

"Do you?" Leona's voice was quiet again, as if she was afraid of the response.

What did she want? Diana wasn't sure when she had first thought about it. She knew she had always felt something for her friend, but was it enough for her to make a serious commitment in a relationship? The answer was so simple, and the day's events had made her realise it even more so, that it was with no other person that Diana felt more comfortable or at ease with. The answer was so easy, and saying it had been difficult up until now, but today she felt like she could say anything.

"Yes. Yes I do."

* * *

YAY FLUFF.

You can just ignore the rest of my author's notes as I'm just going to ramble on for a bit about random crap.

I wanted to poke a little more at Diana's personality this chapter. Especially since I kept feeling like I was writing her too nice, so I tried to explore her personality a bit more. The way I was writing her just didn't feel too close to the personality I get when I'm playing her. So instead, I tried to delve around into the softer side of her personality that I seem to be giving her. I played around with it, and in my head I think Diana might be a little bit insecure. The thing is, she wasn't always the way she is now. She always felt different from her peers, always being inquisitive of the things around her, and in things that the Solari dismissed as mere folly. Being branded a heretic and cast out by the people she had wanted to be accepted by, fueled her hatred over the next few years. Although IronStylus did say that Leona and Diana did not have much prior interaction before the current canon timeline, I took some artistic liberty, of course. Leona was not raised by the Solari, although being their chosen one, she does not subscribe to their teachings as strongly as the rest of the acolytes do. She never saw the moon and its power as something to be dismissed and hidden away in history, and she doesn't cast out Diana as a result. It's something Diana is unused to, and Leona is the only one she can treat the way she does.

As for Leona herself, I don't feel like much of her personality is shaped very solidly from what I get from the game lore and VO. However, I tried to write her as a confident young woman, not quick to judge, but I also feel like she has a lot to learn as well. There are also a lot of parallels in the relationship between Diana & Leona and Ashe & Kat that I've written (Other than having a redhead and a white haired person, derp). There is the obvious of having an assassin with an understanding leader/chosen warrior, however, I hoped I managed to capture the distinct differences between them. With Diana and Leona, it's something new and unexplored for the both of them. Diana isn't used to having someone accept her the way Leona does, and so she's extremely awkward about it. I would imagine she tells more bad jokes to try and hide it.

Likewise, Ashe accepts Katarina to be the crazed killing madwoman she is. The difference is that, while Diana was almost forced into a life of hatred, Katarina has embraced killing as a part of her life. She's grown up around violence and it's something she actually enjoys. Ashe knows this and accepts all of that. Their relationship is one that is build around trust. A lot of trust is necessary because there are more facets to their relationship that are created, not just from their personalities, but from their social standings as well. They have to trust one another, as Noxus is a strong power, and Katarina has extremely high political standing within it. To be in a relationship with the queen of the Demacian allied Freljord is extremely risky, and they have to be able to faith in one another for it to even work in the first place. Also, imo Ashe is the only one that has made Kat feel this way and she gets a little giddy about it.

I tried to not make them too similar, but I think I still managed to make both Diana and Katarina into a couple of tsunfaces, but that's okay.

I also wanted to talk about Ahri and Sona a bit more too, which is why you see them more here. I'll ramble about their relationship later on in another oneshot (maybe), but this pairing was actually largely inspired by megicci's _Silent, But Not Still._ I suggest you look it up and give it a read because they probably do a better job of conveying their relationship than I will.

(Also innuendo is hard to write. I'm sorry for being awkward. And I'm awkward with romance. IDK WHY I DECIDED TO WRITE ROMANTIC ONESHOTS. I AM NOT CUTOUT FOR THIS. PLEASE DON'T MIND IF ALL OF THIS IS FILLED WITH STEREOTYPICAL CHEESE AND FLUFF BECAUSE THAT IS ALL I AM MADE OF. Good god, this is why I have never been in a relationship.)


	3. Scientific Procedure

So I'm messing around with my phone and tried downloading a word processing app on it, so I can write on the go, where I tend to get ideas. So we'll see how this goes. Mind you, my writing is already riddled with errors on a keyboard so I expect my thumbs wouldn't fare much better.

So this story is a little but different from the rest. Instead of third person like I usually write, I wanted to give first person a shot. I usually deter myself from writing from this POV because I feel like it feels a bit sue-ish, but I wanted to see what I could do with it. Also there is a lot of I attempted elements in this story for me so I apologise if this one's a little weird but I hope you enjoy it never the less!

* * *

**Scientific Procedure**

Main pairing: Ezreal x Lux  
Guest starring: Garen, Ashe x Katarina, Ahri x Sona, Caitlyn x Vi

* * *

I'm not sure exactly when it started. In retrospect it must have happened sometime around the confession.

Wait, I'm sorry, this is confusing, let me backtrack and make things a bit more easier to understand. Perhaps a lab report may be less confusing.

Statement of Problem:

- An exploration of the nature of affection and the prerequisites required.

- A need to develop an understanding of human relationships to conclude whether or not to date Ezreal.

Hypothesis:

I predict the conditions required must be to have a strong romantic attachment between the male and female before a relationship can be formed. As for Ezreal, I am unaware of my own emotional standing with him, so I must be able to confirm my own reciprocation to his feelings before I am able to give him a response, which thus means I have to test my hypothesis.

Materials:

Non-applicable.

Procedure:

I will research human biological reaction to attraction and affection to try to discover what it is that Ezreal sees in myself. I will need to assess my own attraction towards him before I am able to conclude whether or not it would be a good idea to be in a relationship with him. Moreover I will be gathering data from other sources, observing other couples, and perhaps asking other more knowledgable people to aid me in this data gathering.

Results:

Well... I haven't exactly gotten that far yet. Considering that I only was confessed to today, I haven't had much time to put together a rough idea of my game plan (in true scientific fashion). I really haven't gotten started on this experiment yet, so I don't really have any data at the moment.

Sorry, is this still confusing? Let me try to talk about this in a more layman-like manner.

It all started earlier today, after I had finished a match. It didn't go overly well, so I was extremely exhausted, but Ezreal pulled me aside and insisted that he had something important to say to me. Initially the logical side of me thought it must have had something to do with my poor performance in the match, but that soon proved wrong as be bashfully confessed that he had feelings for me. Suffice to say, I didn't know exactly how to react to that. My brother always told me to be wary of boys as they usually only have one thing on their minds. He didn't specify what that was, but I'm pretty sure he meant they were only after sex, but I didn't have the heart to tell my brother I knew exactly what he meant; Garen's a little more bashful than most people would think, and it would probably make him assume the worst for him to know that his dear little sister knew all about the grisly details of the reproductive system, when all I did was learn advanced biology.

So back to the situation at hand, I did what was only logical to do. I told Ezreal that I would think on it before giving him my response. I didn't want to rashly jump into something that I wasn't mentally prepared for, after all, as interested as I was to get some field experience in the processes of dating. There is also the secondary factor that Ezreal is one of the few people in the League that I consider to be a good friend. I like to make many acquaintances, but I have very few people that I consider to be particularly close friends.

Sometimes people are surprised that someone like me still hasn't gone out with anyone. They tell me "but oh Luxanna dear, you're so friendly and out-going, why is it you still don't have a fine young man with you? I would imagine you are getting requests left and right!" It's not as simple as one would think, and of course there are many other factors involved, one being I spent much of my time furthering my scientific and magical studies before I began assisting the Demacian military and eventually being a Demancian representative in the League of Legends. There really wasn't much time for romance, unfortunately.

I am positive that my approach to this situation is the most logical. A brash acceptance of Ezreal's affection would be extremely ludicrous. Never make an immediate conclusion to anything until it's analysed and tested over and over. So now that I am past and outside that, I can now properly analyse what had happened. From what I can remember, Ezreal himself seemed extremely nervous, his cheeks were flushed and he was extremely fidgety. Was this a good sign? I'm not positive, but most of those are signs of embarrassment, which logically should be a good sign as to the sincerity of his confession. As for myself, I do remember the blood flowing to my face, and my palms getting slightly sweaty. All of which are also natural signs of embarrassment. Now that I can thing about it clearly, I'm glad I requested more time to consider. I don't want to confuse what may be natural physical and lustful attraction to a member of the opposite gender as affection.

My brother always told me to find someone who actually cares about me emotionally, rather than just lusting after me. Of course that makes all the sense, but how does one accurate assess the amount of emotional attachment? It's not as if I can assign a measurement unit to it like joules, metres or ampoules. The only data I will be able to gather is qualitative, and although it is equally valid in this field of research, it makes it a lot more difficult to come up with a clear cut conclusion. How do I know for sure that a man is pursuing me for the right reasons? What if Ezreal's bashfulness was merely his bodily reaction to lust?

Clearly I need more knowledge in this matter before I can say anything in the matter. So I did what every young girl would do in this situation, I went to ask my brother. At least... That was my plan before I became sidetracked.

When I first arrived at the league, one of the first things I did was find the shortest route to any one point within the institute. There is still a lot for me to discover, but at this point, Ezreal and I have managed to discover enough shortcuts for the most efficient ways to get from almost any point A to point B. The particular route I had chosen to get to my brother's room involved traversing through via the not very well know rooftop pathways. Seldom did I ever see anyone else using these pathways, which was odd considering their convenience. I imagine they all had the same kind of personal attachment I had to it in the way that it was a nice secret that was best kept to oneself to keep it from being clogged with the presence of too many people. It was laid out like a miniature maze, small gardens and walled off areas separated the winding paths. Today, however, I found I wasn't exactly alone.

I was halfway to Garen's room when I heard hushed voices echoing quietly from a direction slightly off from where I had intended to go. In my head I tried to remember whom else knew of the existence of this area beside myself and Ezreal. I had seen Lee Sin and Master Yi meditating up here multiple times, occasionally accompanied by Wu Kong. However, ever as my curiosity got the better of me and I approached the sources of the voices, I found that the two conversing were decidedly female. Maybe it was Quinn and Caitlyn; both of which had a fondness for high places and I had seen both of them chatting on some occasions.

When the figures came into view, I could immediately tell that I was wrong on both accounts. Although I didn't see her off the rift very often, multiple encounters on the fields made Katarina's leather jacket extremely recognisable. Not surprisingly, the assassin somehow sensed my presence before I could walk any closer.

"Who's there?" She called, whipping her head around. Her eyes narrowed when she recognised me. "Well if it isn't the brattier Crownguard. What do you want?"

I swallowed, not knowing what to say. Champions are forbidden to harm one another outside of fields of justice, but having been at her mercy multiple times was quite terrifying indeed. Moreover, however convenient this route was, there were no surveillance orbs anywhere in the vicinity, if anything happened here, no one would be the wiser.

She shifted her body to face me more, which in turn allowed me to see the person whom her body was priorly obscuring. The navy blue cloak and silver hair was a dead giveaway. Katarina, for some reason, had Ashe pinned to a wall. I ran the possibilities of the situation through my head. Was Katarina threatening the Freljord Queen? I had heard what had occurred between Noxus and the barbarians. Perhaps this was some revenge for the issue?

"Ashe?" I asked, hearing my own voice shake a little bit. Katarina tended to have that effect on me.

The two exchanged a look before turning back to me. Katarina's face almost began to darken, she seemed genuinely angry, "Look, this is a matter between two adults here. I have few things to negotiate with her majesty here, and I would appreciate it if you would leave. We have some important political matters to attend to." As she said this, Katarina shifted her arm across the Archer's front, aiming the spikes on her armguards at the queen's throat. She smiled sinisterly, "This could get ugly if I don't get what I want. Besides, you Demacians don't really care much for these tundra barbarians anyway, so why don't you just go run along and play or whatever."

I felt my blood run cold. I had somehow stumbled straight into the middle of a crime in action. I have had my fair share busting countless crimes through Demacia, however not one of which the future of several nations would be involved. My head was reeling, partially due to the fear Katarina induced upon me. I took several deep breaths willing myself to think straight. Something seemed a bit off in the situation, in any crime, an intelligent perpetrator would never let a witness go. Perhaps the amateur or soft hearted criminal may spare whom they believed to be an innocent (only to have it bite them in the behind later), but not Katarina. Katarina was a cold blooded assassin born and raised with the ideals of Noxus, it would be a novice mistake for her to let me go upon witnessing her crime. Perhaps she was waiting for me to turn my back before she threw a knife into it. Panicking, I made eye contact with Ashe, unsure what to do.

"Lux, it's okay. Calm down. I have this under control. I'll negotiate with her okay? I'll be fine." The blue eyes looked back at me with such fierce confidence I couldn't help but feel calmed. I steadied my breathing and reassessed the situation. Ashe was definitely completely helpless in that situation, any wrong movement and Katarina could end her life in an instant. How in the world could she possibly look so calm? Her flushed face betrayed no worry, which was beyond me as to how she could do that at the mercy of the terrifying redhead.

Wait. Flushed? I blinked. Upon further observation, Ashe's face seemed to be slightly crimson than normal. This could be a sign of multiple things, at the very least, she wasn't going into shock. I ran through multiple possible reasons in my head, but the most immediately obvious one that stuck like a stick in the mud in my mind, was also the most outrageous, but I couldn't help focus on it due to all the research that I was attempting to do (which got my into this situation in the first place). I noted the slight swelling on her lips, and although it was hard to tell for sure, her breathing seemed slightly uneven. I quickly flicked my gaze at Katarina, who raised a very impatient eyebrow at me, making quick observations before averting my gaze.

No way. It was impossible. It couldn't be! But all the signs stubbornly pointed to the same conclusion. I worked my brain, considering my next course of action before making a quick decision. I would trust Ashe. I prayed that I was not wrong, or else I would have the death of a fellow champion weighing heavily on my conscience. I slow backed away the way I came before turning to run out of view.

Once I was out of sight, I began to work quickly. Ever since I was younger, I discovered I had a very close affinity to light magic. I could conjour up illusions just by bending light itself, and I could make myself completely disappear from view. I haven't had the opportunity to work with light in this manner for quite a long time, so I began to feel a little giddy at the chance. The magic on the fields of justice inhibit each champion to be only able to use whatever their talents in very limited ways. I was restricted to simple bindings, refractions and one manner of high energy output, but here, I was completely uninhibited. It was another reason why Katarina frightened me even more off the fields than upon it. At least there she is restricted in her skills, and the effectiveness of them.

Once I was sure the illusion would hold, I made my way back towards the two as quickly as possible without giving myself away. I once snuck into the deepest chambers of the Noxian High Command using the same method. The trick was to constantly rework the light as I moved so it was as if I wasn't even there at all. However, I knew one little mistake, even the smallest ripple, would give me away. Once I was close enough to be back within earshot without having the assassin sense my presence I stopped moving, not daring to take another step closer. From my spot, I could just barely make out their frantic whispers.

"-been so stupid!? I can't believe that brat saw us. Who the hell comes up here anyway?"

I craned my head, trying to get a better view. Sure enough, Katarina had completely released Ashe and was now standing a bit of a ways away from the archer. She had stamped her leg in frustration, a sight I would have found comical on any other person.

Ashe was worrying at her bottom lip, "Well, I hope she believes what I said about being able to handle things."

A snort, "As if. That little goody two shoes will run along and tattle to her older brother. I swear she must have some sort of brother complex or something. Stupid Demacians."

"At the very least, she'll say that I'm here being threatened by spike-point."

Katarina turned around, facing Ashe again. "I didn't hurt you there, did I?"

Ashe shook her head, "I'm fine. You know, your reputation is going to take a blow for this, right? I know you have more honour than secretly offing political leaders for no reason, but other people don't, and will be likely to be more on the alert about you. You didn't really have to act all that out to fool her."

"And if I didn't?" Katarina asked, crossing her arms. "There is too much at stake on us keeping this secret. Besides, like you said, others don't think well of me or expect much of me, which is alright because I don't do the same for them. Another scratch or chip on my reputation wouldn't do much at all. I would rather I lose of that than…" She trailed off.

The silence was almost deafening. I suddenly became hyper aware of my breathing. What if it gave me away? I opted for holding it instead.

"You know… you can be a hopeless romantic when it comes down to it." Ashe said at last.

"This conversation never happened. Now, let's get going, in separate directions. We can't be seen leaving together. I don't want to be here when the League goes on high alert when Lux raises the alarm." Katarina pulled Ashe into a chaste kiss before breaking off into a short jog down a separate path. Ashe watched Katarina head off for a moment before making her own way down a separate pathway.

When I was positive they were gone, I let out the breath I had been holding and dropped the illusion. I processed the new information in my head. Ashe, the Queen of Freljord was committing an act of infidelity with Katarina, the sinister blade of Noxus. There were too many new facts for me to consider all at once. Deciding that I needed more data and answers, I set off, continuing once again to find my brother.

* * *

I found my brother in his room as I expected. He rarely did much outside his scheduled matches other than socialise with the same people or train. Not surprisingly I had interrupted him in the middle of a workout session.

"Sparkle? What are you doing here?" He grunted, barely taking a moment's break from his crunches to greet me as I took a seat on his bed.

I scowled a little bit at the pet name. He had called me that ever since we were little and the name had never died off. It was one of the reasons why I was more than a little bit reluctant to come to Garen to start my research. I definitely wasn't ungrateful towards him. He was caring, the best brother any one could ever ask for and I loved him for it. Sometimes, though, he tended to be more than a little bit overbearing and he sometimes forgot that I wasn't quite the little girl he always remembered protecting. He forgot that I've outgrown the need for his doting since even before entering my adulthood. Katarina earlier was completely wrong about our relationship, if anything it was probably opposite. Over the past few years, I tried to be more independent, avoiding going to Garen first when I needed help. Unfortunately, this subject matter was something that I couldn't exactly go to just anyone to talk to, and even if I could, I wouldn't know to whom I would talk to. So, to Garen it was.

"I'm conducting a research project." I told him, might as well get to the point. "I'm actually conducting a research on romantic relationships and I wanted to ask you some questions."

Garen immediately sat up from his half crunch to look me in the eye, a frantic expression on his face.

"Why?"

Typical. I should have expected this to happen. I shrugged nonchalantly, trying to come up with an excuse. As much as I loved my brother, I wouldn't exactly appreciate him bashing in the face of my best friend for confessing. "Curiosity" I said at last, "I've already drained the library of all scientific and magical content alike, I've decided to try researching other fields of interest until they buy more books. Besides, think of it this way, the more I know, the less inclined I'll probably feel to go do some hands on research if you don't tell me." I pouted, knowing that he would have trouble denying my requests.

Garen harrumphed and crossed his arms, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. I want to fully understand everything." It was a ridiculous sounding request, but I was being perfectly honest. Other than the physical aspect, I knew next to nothing about romance.

"Men are evil and always out to get you. Class dismissed."

"Brotherrrrr." I whined, "That's not fair. You have to let ME ask the questions."

My brother signed, relenting. "Ask away."

I smirked, starting my victory off with a question that was more of a jab at his pride and over protectiveness, "Are men really all out to get me? How is it anyone gets married that way?"

The look on my brother's face was a kin to that of a pout, as much as a man of his stature is able to make. I guess that expression runs in the family. "No. They are not." He broke into a small smile, "I'm sure one day you will find a fine young man who will treat you very well."

I couldn't help but smile back. No matter how much independence I tried to gain, Garen would always be my brother, and he knew just the right things to say sometimes.

"Next question, how do you know if you love someone?"

Garen seemed to ponder for a moment, stroking his chin. "It's hard to tell sometimes." He said at last, "I guess, it depends from person to person. Sometimes you turn red as a tomato, sometimes your heart races, sometimes all you can do is think about that one person. It's really difficult to say sometimes, and sometimes you might even confuse something else for it, like admiration or even close friendship. There is no way to tell for sure. It's difficult to explain, you get a certain feeling and that's when you know for sure. It differs from person to person, though."

I thought on that for a little bit. His answer really didn't clear up much for me. Just "Having a feeling" was far too vague. How can anyone go off an answer like that? My brother really wasn't the scientist of the family, that probably being the best way he could answer that, so I let it go and moved on to the next question.

"Do people have to love each other to be married?"

His eyes widened, he probably wasn't expecting a question like this. "Um… Although it's ideal, I wouldn't exactly consider it a prerequisite. In some older times, and even sometimes today, many families set up their children to marry people whom they deemed ideal. It's an archaic idea that many don't embrace anymore, so you don't have to worry about that, because as long as you're happy, I'll be happy with whomever you may choose." He thought for a second more before adding, "Oh, there is one example within the League as well. Ashe and Tryndamere, are a perfect example. Their marriage is actually a symbol of the unity between her people and the nomad barbarians Tryndamere leads. If there is any romance between the two, I absolutely do not know, but that's example of a marriage that does not require love to occur."

My hunch had been correct. Although she wasn't one of my closer friends, I've known Ashe since joining the League of Legends, and I know she isn't so cruel of a person to commit herself to a person only to have someone else on the side. Through logical deduction, I assumed that perhaps she and Tryndamere didn't actually love one another. It was a strange concept. To me, someone who has grown up hearing princess stories of young girls falling deeply in love with the perfect young man and eventually wed to become happily every after, trying to wrap my mind around the idea of a loveless marriage. Who knew that reality would be so very different? Adoration, love, and marriage were a lot more complicated than the black and white situations that I had been presented when I was much younger, which begged my next question.

"Is it possible for two people of the same gender to fall for one another?" I inquired, unable to hide the genuine intrigue in my voice.

Garen's eyebrows practically shot up to his hairline. "Is this what this is all about? Are you trying to tell me something?"

I groaned. "No, I'm just curious. I told you I need to understand everything."

He gripped my shoulder gently, "Sparkle, it's okay. You know I will love you no matter what."

I practically slapped myself on the forehead. Gently moving his hand off my shoulder and holding it in my own, I stared back at him, "No, this isn't about me. I'm really curious. I really just want to know."

"Well, I wouldn't say it's impossible, more that it isn't very well accepted. Many people don't approve of such a relationship."

"Why?" I interrupted.

He shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine. Those are the people who are beyond logic, clinging to age-old ideals, saying that it's an unnatural act against nature or religious faith. I don't really know too much about either side, but personally I think it shouldn't matter what type of person you would fall for." He tilted his head, regarding me curiously, "Why do you want to know about all this anyway? Are you sure there isn't something you want to tell me?"

"Brother." I chided lightly while thinking about what he had just said. I wasn't too surprised at that answer. It was pretty understandable, considering I, myself, hadn't even considered it being a possibility to love someone of the same gender. Stories and teachers always taught of a man and a woman falling in love and nothing else. There was never mention of anything else. It's no small wonder that the children taught this would grow up not accepting alternatives. Especially Demacians. As patriotic as I am, I even have to agree that sometimes Demacians really just have sticks up their asses.

"Sorry," he sounded a bit sheepish.

"It's alright. I understand, but it's not anything to do with myself. I just saw some people..." I trailed off.

"Who?"

I froze. Do I tell him? I realised that I had extremely valuable information with me. Information that could easily be used against Noxus AND Freljord. Although I didn't agree with it, many Demacians shared His Majesty Jarvan III's thoughts of the tundra inhabitants to be absolutely barbaric people who needed to be modernised and taught the Demacian ways. The alliance between the two states were terse at best, and it was no secret that we hated Noxus. The little nugget of knowledge I had could actually be the key to unlocking something far larger. The little fact in my head suddenly seemed a lot heavier.

_Do it. Tell him._ The niggling voice in the back of my mind told me. _It will make you a hero. You will be revered by all, even more so than now. Tell him._

My mind went back to the conversation I wasn't supposed to have been listening to. The facial expressions, the intimacy in their mere words...

I shook my head, "It's not important anyway."

"Ahri." Garen suddenly stated, hammer his fist in the palm of his hand decidedly. "That vixen doesn't know any public decency. She'll come onto everyone. Did she do something to you?"

"No brother, you're still jumping to conclusions." I sighed, "I know you care, but I really am just curious."

Garen relaxed, finally relenting his assault of unnecessary questions. I smiled mischievously as I conjured up a way to give him a small taste of his own medicine.

"Last question. Have you loved anyone? I mean you're practically an old man now." I teased.

The blush that spread on his face was priceless. He coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment in his arms. I almost laughed out loud at him. Not many people knew the man they called the Might of Demacia was in fact extremely bashful.

"I've dedicated myself to Demacia and serving her people." He finally answered. I was a little bit disappointed but not surprised at his response. So it wasn't just me that had been too distracted by other things to deal with romance. I was about to wrap up the conversation when Garen decided to continue, "Though... There was this one time I almost confused my respect for a woman as something else."

"Do continue."

He coughed again, still trying to hide his ever reddening face. "It was just a passing fancy. She's a strong woman, but extremely cruel. Ruthless and bloodthirsty, but honourable. Nevertheless, she had my respect. However she and I have our differences and it could never be, as it would be absolutely taboo for me."

My eyes bulged, "Brother, are you trying to tell me you had a schoolboy's crush... On Katarina?"

"Don't say that so loud!" he hissed, urging me to stop me giggles. "I told you it was just a passing fancy."

I straightened my face, "I won't tell anyone. You have my word." I swore. If only he knew the full story. I almost regretted not being able to tell him and teasing him with the fact that his crush was probably not into men in the first place. I bounded from my spot on Garen's bed and made for the door. "Thank you brother for the talk, I think I learned a sufficient amount." I stretched up on my toes to give my brother a light peck on the cheeks before running out the door to my next destination.

My brother hasn't told me everything I had wanted to know, but something he had mentioned earlier had given me an idea. Why run around blindly getting sample data from my brother when I could ask an expert? He might as well be the control sample, while I could go straight to the person who would know best. Why not ask the mistress of lust herself?

* * *

Ahri, as it turns out, was a lot more difficult to pinpoint than my brother. Being the social butterfly that she was, she could be anywhere where there were a lot of people, which resulted in me asking everyone that I saw that could possibly know where she was. Having searched for quite a bit, unable to find the elusive kitsune, I was about to give up when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Whirling around, I found myself face to face with the person whom I had been looking for. She grinned at me, waving, one of her fluffy tails joining in to greet me with a wave as well.

"You were looking for me?" Ahri asked, her voice smooth and sultry, sending shivers down my spine. From my multiple encounters with her, and from discussions with everyone else, it's an effect I know she has on everyone. That's just the way Ahri is. Such was the nature of a woman who had absolute dominance over lust. While Katarina was terrifying in the way that she could kill you without a moment's hesitation, Ahri had her own way of establishing dominance in her own frightening way.

"I wanted to ask you some questions." I blurted out. Having already said it once to my brother helped in a way that I didn't feel as embarrassed having to ask questions on the topic again.

Ahri shrugged nonchalantly, "Sure, not like I have anything better to do. Why don't we take a walk while we talk then?"

Ahri ended up leading us to the institute's hanging gardens, tended to by Zyra's meticulous hand.

"What did you want to ask you some questions on the topic of romance, I'm conducting research and I need more information."

Ahri laughed, "And you came to ask me? Little girl, there's a big difference between love and lust, and I doubt what I can tell you are the answers I want."

I shook my head, ignoring that she had called me 'little girl'. It was something had come to discover she called many people. She was probably a lot older than she looked, given her origins. "I wanted to ask you about the difference between them. Can you at least tell me that?"

"Oh that one's easy. One makes you feel hot between your legs and the other makes your chest feel funny."

I should have expected a response like that, considering who I was talking to. Nevertheless I could feel my face turning bright red. Opting to change the topic since her answer wasn't much better than my brother's, I asked, "Oh…. Well, can you tell me about relationships? Are there many within the League?"

"Ashe and Tryndamere," came her instant response. I sighed, if I wanted obvious answers, I wouldn't have needed to go through the trouble of finding the fox.

"What about any others?"

"Like…?"

"Like…" I thought about my answer. There was really only one other that I knew of, and again the consequences weighed upon me as I considered answering her question. Ahri was a bit of an enigma. She didn't seem to have any obvious alliances other than to Ionia. However, she seemed more of a neutral party, living for herself rather than for others and their political problems. Perhaps she would be a safe person to talk to. "… Ashe and Katarina." I finished at last.

Initially her surprised look scared me, and I started to think I had made a grave error until she laughed aloud, voice echoing slightly throughout the greenhouse. "Those two need to be a lot more discrete, I swear they can't keep it in their pants."

"You knew?"

"Little girl, I know a lot of things." Ahri responded, grinning ear to ear, "and it seems like you want to gossip. Very well, I can tell you what I know of."

"What do you know about Ashe and Katarina? Is that love?"

Ahri regarded me with an unreadable look before answering, "Yes. I suppose it is. It's a little bit complicated, but Tryndamere is off doing the same elsewhere. You asked earlier what love is, and King and Queen of Freljord are what it is not. They don't care for each other in the slightest outside of political matters."

"What about others? Are there any others? Can you tell me more about them?" The questions flooded out like a dam had broken. I couldn't help it; this was all much more interesting that I thought it would be. Was this what gossiping was like? I didn't grow up with many girls my age, so I didn't happen to experience what that was like.

"Woahhh, slow down girl, you're getting ahead of yourself here. Why did you say you wanted to know again?"

"Research." I said, using my default answer again.

The kumiho thought for a moment, "Maybe I should send you to do some field research yourself. Maybe you should talk to some of these people or see what they're like together. Observing their dynamics together and around others might help you with whatever you're trying to figure out. Maybe you could visit the yordles, I hear Lulu and Veigar are up to something, but Veigar always denies it. Or perhaps Diana and Leona…. Nah, Diana wouldn't act naturally in public anyway."

"I accidentally listened in on Katarina and Ashe." I offered, not bothering going through the details of how, or the fact that it wasn't really an accident at all.

"Nah, you wouldn't be able to catch them again if you've already caught them once. Besides, I don't think Kat likes you very much. Twisted Fate and Evelynn broke up ages ago, but they were kind of weird. Hm, if Akali weren't back in Ionia right now, I'd recommend you see her and Nidalee…"

My mind reeled as she kept rattling off pairings. I underestimated how much Ahri could possibly know about all this. Maybe that was just her being good at gossiping or maybe she sensed it. Either way, to know all of this had been going on under my nose was rather surprising. Moreover, I didn't expect so many couples of the same gender with one another.

"I'm out of the question…" She suddenly snapped her fingers, "I got it. Go to Piltover's workshops, I'm sure you'll figure out something interesting there.

I felt my stomach churn a little bit. This time today, Ezreal was often working at Piltover's workshops, lending a helping hand to the others who happened to be there at the time. It wasn't exactly that I didn't want to see him, it was just that I didn't want to see him so soon before I had concluded my research. I still had no answer for him. I tried to change the topic, "What do you mean you're out of the question?"

Ahri smirked, "I'm currently taken right now, but you're not bothering me and my personal life, thank you very much. And speak of the devil! She found me."

I turned slightly, unable to hide the surprise on my face at whom I saw. "Sona?"

The musician responded by playing a little tune in greeting. I didn't try to communicate with Sona enough to understand her as well some others did. It was a bit of a weird concept, trying understand what the woman was trying to convey through her notes. It wasn't exactly words, but more of an idea that she projected with her tunes. However, I could understand the most basic of her melodies.

I didn't know what exactly surprised me more, the fact that Ahri had been in a relationship with Sona or the fact that Ahri was in a relationship at all. Granted, I did note that the two had spent more time together recently, but I thought that was just Ahri being herself. Then again, in retrospect, Ahri seemed to stopped coming on to all the other champions as often as of late.

Ahri grabbed the other woman's hand and tugged her slightly closer to her, before looking back at me. "That's my cue, I'm done for today. Why don't you take my advice and go head over to those workshops."

I shifted on my feet. "Idon'treallywanttogothererightnow."

The fox woman raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, "Why not?"

"Because… Ezreal's there." I mumbled, not sure whether it was a good idea to tell these two or not.

The smile that spread on Ahri's face was almost predatory. I began to regret my decision a little bit. "Oh? And why would that be a problem. You don't like him, do you?"

"NO!"I shouted reflexively, "Well… at least… I don't know. That's why I'm doing research."

Ahri laughed in response, "That's not how it works little girl. You don't do research about relationships and love and suddenly know whether you like someone or not. You know from right here." She gently placed a hand on Sona's chest, who immediately played a short acciaccatura on her etwahl out of surprise. "Yeah, sorry that was an excuse to grope you." The fox replied playfully.

I crossed my arms, "Well. I still want to be mentally prepared. Besides, he was the one who told me he liked me first."

"Ezreal told you he liked you?" Ahri asked in surprise.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, interesting story. Uh… Ezreal just broke up with Taric. Honey, he's gay."

* * *

Piltover's workshops were always filled with sound. Loud pounding hammers and the quiet thrum of electricity and magic constantly filled the warehouse-like space. I never really came to this area of the institute very often because it had been deemed as more than slightly dangerous. Every so often there was the occasional explosion that would result in multiple repairs needed. The inside of workshops themselves was like a large maze of contraptions and junk, almost enough to have to warrant me asking Ezreal to draw me a map the last time I was here.

I wasn't exactly sure whom exactly Ahri had sent me here to see, so I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go. I supposed I could have gone to talk to Ezreal who was probably in his corner pouring over geographical resources, but I didn't quite want to talk to him. Not yet, at least.

I ran through the list of others who were possibly here in the workshop. There were the Yordles, Ziggs, Corki and Heimerdinger, but I had a feeling that I wasn't sent here to visit them. That left Caitlyn, Vi and Jayce as the remaining people. They had set up a makeshift police office of sorts within the workshops after the Vi and the yordle inventors had accidentally blew up the previous office. Still it didn't really answer my question as to why I was really supposed to be here. How in the world was I supposed to approach them anyway? 'Hello, I was sent here by Ahri to observe how couples interact. By the way, would you mind telling me which ones of you guys are the ones she's talking about?' Preposterous.

I was so lost in my thinking, that I didn't notice someone was approaching from from behind me until I was almost knocked off my feet.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you there!"

I turned around to see Caitlyn was trying to catch her balance with several large boxes towering precariously in her arms.

"That's okay, you look like you need some help. Do you need a hand with those?" I asked.

"That would be wonderful, thank you." She replied gratefully, handing the top most boxes. "What are you up to Lux? I don't see you around here that often. Are you here to see Ezreal?"

"Uh… yeah." I was only partially lying, as I did intend to see Ezreal later.

"Hmm, you just missed him actually." Caitlyn quipped, as she led Lux into the Piltover Police's makeshift office. It was a medium sized room with little furnishing, save for the basics: a desk, a small couch with a coffee table, and several filing cabinets. Nearly every flat surface of the room was covered with paper. "He just went off to help Corki with an experiment but he should be back soon. Why don't you wait here for him" She offered warmly. "Oh, do forgive the mess, I've been on a really busy schedule lately, and I haven't had the time to clean up." The officer quickly swept a stack of papers off the couch for me to take a seat.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, that would be great, thank you." I responded, as I removed the light jacket I had been wearing.

Caitlyn shoved a few sheets of paper to reveal a mysterious machine on top of one of the filing cabinets. She switched it on and began bustling with it. Piltover inventions were always fascinating to me, but I never really did know much about them. I was snapped out of my observation by the sudden banging of someone slamming open the door.

Caitlyn didn't even turn from her spot, her accented voice unfazed by the commotion, "You took your time, Vi." She said as Vi teetered into the room carrying several stacks of papers.

"You told me bring ALL the papers." Vi whined.

"You offered." Caitlyn replied, shrugging as she brought a tray with three steaming mugs of tea to the coffee table.

Noticing me for the first time as she picked up one of the mugs, Vi grinned, "Oh hey Lux. Didn't see you here. What'cha up to?" As she was out of combat, the pink haired woman wasn't wearing her hextech gauntlets, though it didn't make her stature any less intimidating. Although Vi was the type of person who looked like she could beat up ten of me before breakfast, her large friendly smile always put me at ease.

"Oh, I'm uh… waiting for Ezreal."

"Really now? I'm not surprised." Vi commented, waggling her eyebrows.

I raised an eyebrow of my own in response. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." She replied grinning, before turning her attention back to the sheriff. "Hey Cupcake, since I carried all that here for you, do I get a kiss as a reward?"

Well. That answered my question as to my original reason for being here, I supposed. I'm still not sure why Ahri was so adamant about me seeing them though.

Caitlyn visibly stiffed as she was bending down to pick up some papers off the floor. "Vi, I really wish you would focus your attention on work when we are at work."

"Is that a no?"

"Work is work, Vi. I promised to make time for dinner on Sunday so be patient."

I cleared my throat a little bit, "Pardon me, but are you two…?"

"Piltover's finest? Of course." Caitlyn deflected, a little red in the face.

"… In bed." Vi added, snorting.

Caitlyn turned a violent shade of crimson in response. "Vi, PLEASE. Would you show a little more courtesy to our guest? You get the couch tonight." Turning to me, she added, "Don't mind her Lux, she's like that. And before you hear it from anyone else other than myself, yes, we are an item. Now if you two will excuse me, I have some paperwork to fax to the mayor." Caitlyn paused as she was halfway out the door, adding, "Oh and Vi, has Jayce been talking to you lately?"

"No more than before, why?"

"Oh… no reason. Well, I'll be heading out now, so if you leave before I'm back, thanks for coming by Lux."

I shook my head in amusement as I waved the sheriff off. This duo's dynamic was completely different that what I had observed today. It just went to show that each relationship just wasn't the same. Is what Ahri had meant for me to see? That my brother's vague answer saying that it depended from person to person was right? It was fun and a little bit eye opening, but even as I learned more and more, it didn't really help me in figuring out what to say to Ezreal.

"So. Are you gonna tell me?" Vi said, as she shoved more papers off the couch to make room for herself to lounge on.

"Tell you what?" I asked, dodging the obvious question.

"About you and Ezreal?" Vi smirked. "Come on, tell me all the juicy deets. Are you and him going out?"

I blushed slightly, "Well. No. But he uh… He did confess."

"And you turned him down?" Vi asked, a little bit surprised, "I don't know but from the sounds of it, you like him, so why?"

"WELL… I didn't actually turn him down. Or tell him yes. I'm a little bit undecided at the moment." I admitted.

"What's there to be undecided about? Do you like him or not?" What a simple question. The question I had been asking myself the entire day.

"I don't know…"

Vi screwed up her face in thought. "Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was this badass chick with super cool pink hair that could beat up anyone she wanted. This badass chick happened to find out she really liked this super hot police chief. Just a little bit. She wasn't quite sure about anything, but she thought, 'HEY. WHAT THE HECK.' And asked the super hot police chief out. Unfortunately sheriff babe said no, and that she wasn't prepared for anything besides the safety of Piltover.

"One day, after an epic saga of a super long, and super dangerous stakeout, sheriff babe and badass girl had a little talk. And sheriff babe said something interesting. She said that she could never know what was going to happen, or if like would amount to anything at all, but it would never hurt to try."

I gave Vi a minor look of surprise. It wasn't the most eloquent of stories, or the best, but it was the best advice I had managed to get all day. Perhaps this is what Ahri sent me here for. I opened my mouth to respond but was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. I looked up to see Jayce at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Caitlyn told me to let you guys know when Ezreal got back?" He said, before turning to Vi, "Oh Vi, I would like to ask you something."

I stood up, setting down my teacup, gathering my things. As I was busying myself with that, I listened in on the conversation between the two Piltoverians.

"Hey Jayce, m'man. What's up?"

"I got my hands on some football tickets and was hoping you'd come see the game with me this Sunday."

"Oh… Sunday. Sorry bro. I'm busy, another time."

Jayce's face fell. I looked between the two in wonder, before giving a sympathetic pat on the back to the large man on my way out. Maybe it was today's events, but I felt that I was extra perceptive about these things now. Or maybe I was just dense to it before.

Not surprisingly, I found Ezreal at his usual workstation.

"Hey." I greeted, drawing his attention from the maps pinned up all around the space.

"Hey." He reciprocated, suddenly looking nervous. He probably knew what I was here for.

"I wanted to talk." I started, sitting myself across from him at the island situated in the middle his corner space. "And I wanted to ask you something."

Ezreal looked a little bit surprised and curious, "What abouts?"

"Ezreal. Are you gay?" I asked.

His jaw dropped in shock at my question. "Who told you that?"

I turned red. "Ahri did. Well… I was just asking her about things, and she ended up telling me other things about you and Taric. I really don't mean to offend or be nosy, but I was wondering why you told me you liked me when…"

Ezreal chuckled, "It's okay. Don't worry about it. It happens. Taric and I didn't really work out at all. He's kind of not my type. Uh well… I like both chicks and bros, so I guess that makes me bi." He looked me straight in the eyes, "But I really mean it when I told you that I liked you, and I completely understand if you don't like me back. Just…. Let me know?"

I chewed on my bottom lip, thinking of the things I had learned today. Firstly, relationships are not as straightforward as I thought. There is no formula for it. I can't say a certain one man must be the one for a certain one woman. I learned that every combination between two people could result in something completely different from one another. I learned that taking chances would never hurt. And finally, I realised. When Ezreal told me he liked me, a warm fuzzy feeling filled my belly. It was indescribable. Terrifying and comfortable at the same time. Maybe this was the so-called 'feeling' that my brother had told me about. Just maybe, I would know for sure unless I took that chance.

"I think I like you a little bit too."

* * *

I have also seen IronStylus' posts about the relationship between Leona and Diana and it's a really tragic story, however I'll have to disregard it more than a little bit for the purposes of this story (which really is 100% shippy fluff anyway), so Diana evidently retains a lot more her humanity in this little universe. Also the lore changes for Ashe does put a little wrench into things for now, but I really do hope the writers keep the marriage between Ashe and Tryndamere as a political relationship. D: For now until the Freljord patch actually deploys and we see the whole story of what is going on there, I will keep MOST of the major details the same for now.

This chapter was actually MUCH easier for me to write than others. I had to remind myself a few times that I'm supposed to be writing this in first person, and I had to change my pronouns around a bit, but otherwise it wasn't so bad. Mostly because I feel my writing lacks this type of artistic flow to it. It's extremely mechanical and very dialogue heavy. I'm poor at good description, but writing in this more scientific/proper manner is more of how I actually talk and type (minus the Internet slang derp). It's a bit of a weird chapter addressing a bunch of weird ideas, but hopefully you enjoyed it anyhow.

Oh, I also tried not make Lux seem TOO emotionally detached. Well, she isn't actually. My intention here when I was portraying Lux was to make her bright bubbly girl we all know and love (or hate, I guess, if you're that person) while also showcasing the intelligent side. That side of her is actually heavily featured in her lore, but people tend to forget about it quite a bit sometimes. With all that, I still tried to make her the curious innocent girl that a lot of people make her out to be as well.

AND YES. If anyone is about to say this chapter has a lot of showcasing most of my random ships that I've made of seemingly random champions thrown together, YOU ARE NOT WRONG.


	4. Ice Queen

So I've been tossing around ideas for this next story and I was considering different pairings, but I felt it most appropriate to write the one I had in mind in light of the recent Freljord patch. (Needless to say, I'm trying to be able to keep this gorgeous Avarosan icon, but I haven't really played much lately since most my friends are busy and I don't like solo queuing during the volatile period of time when a new champ is released.)

Still writing this on my phone so typos incoming. 8D

And finally after cameo-ing in every one shot so far, I'm focussing this one on Ashe and Katarina. (Sort of. POV is out of whack third person as usual)

The Ashe in my one shots will be something in between the current canon Ashe and the previous one. I'll be combining elements such as events of the current lore with the personality of the previous Ashe. She's still Queen of Freljord in my stories.

I am also adding the pairing tags at the beginning of the chapters since it's pretty dang obvious fluff anyway.

* * *

**Ice Queen**

Main pairing: Ashe x Katarina  
Guest starring: Diana, Lissandra, Akali x Nidalee

* * *

Diana rubbed her shoulder, trying to rid the soreness that settled over her entire body. She was more tired than usual today, having had an unfortunately long string of matches, most of which hadn't gone too well. A few more unfamiliar summoners had taken the liberty to call upon her today, and most of which turned out to be less than competent. Their lack of skill, however, didn't impede their more vulgar verbal advances at her during the match. Needless to say, she coldly put them in their place threatening their lives and their more sensitive areas as well. Regardless, the entire day had put her in a mood and she needed to wind down.

Normally, especially as of late, she would have gone directly to see Leona. Diana wasn't much for complaining or sharing her day with others, but the company of the Solari warrior was always welcome, and Leona tended to understand the situation and quietly accepted the presence of the other woman without any more words than necessary. It was exactly that type of companionship that Diana enjoyed and it secretly made her all the happier that Leona understood that about her. Though Diana wouldn't be caught dead admitting that aloud. Unfortunately, Leona had been called back to Mount Rakkor for a monthly solar worshipping ritual. It had been a long time since Diana had participated in one, so she could hardly remember what was involved. It also often failed to hold her interest, so she never really listened to the ramblings of the elders each month. She remember that changed ever the slightest when Leona had arrived among the Solari and her attendance to every ritual was deemed absolutely necessary. Diana remembered that from that moment on, she spent those times focused on something (more like _someone_) else other than idle daydreaming.

Diana scowled at the memory as it only served to further her frustration as Leona wasn't at the institute to serve as a distraction for her fowl mood. She considered her options: she could go to rest early and relax, let off some steam in the training compound, or she could go get a drink. That last option wouldn't be such a bad idea, she decided. Alcohol didn't solve every problem but it would certainly help her take her mind off things.

Unlike a large portion of the League of Legends, Diana was unaligned to any political faction. Her mistress was the moon, and her purpose was to spread truth and dispel the lies and misconceptions that people, blinded by the sun's light, had created about the moon's power. (As always, Leona was different. However attuned to the Sun she was, she saw so much more than your average commoner or close minded Solari acolyte. Perhaps it was her Rakkorian upbringing or just Leona being Leona. Either way, the Chosen was among the few that Diana didn't deem a blinded moron.) Being unaligned had its perks sometimes. She didn't exactly have to sneak around in certain corridors like certain people had to in enemy wings. She could go wherever she so pleased (even if slightly unwelcome in certain places) as she had no political ties that would put her in some sort of scandalous nightmare should she step a toe in the wrong area. This also meant she was welcome to frequent whichever bars she wanted. The institute had two bars in its building. Once being a single pub co-owned by Singed and Gragas, the ensuing brawls that occurred between different factions were so property damaging that it was concluded that each owner was to open their own establishments in the Noxian and Demacian wings respectively. Although Diana could visit whichever one she wanted, which she constantly did as she loved the selection if drinks from both bars, she decided she was going to have to avoid Gragas' bar for the time being. As much as she liked Graggy Ice, she didn't exactly want to bump into Garen as she had started a brawl with him he last time she was there. She had been doing particularly well in a match against Lux prior that week, and Garen, in a slightly drunken stupor, picked a fight with her about it. Needless to say, she wouldn't be exactly welcome there for at least a few weeks, so to Singed's bar it was.

The frequenters of Singed's bar were to be expected: Noxians, Zaunites and their allies alike. The barkeep even had a small section portioned off specifically for serving the void born as well. Most people tended to avoid that corner as it was often swathed in ooze and no one knew if they might accidentally lose some limbs to a starving voidling. Otherwise, though, the ambience of the establishment was unexpectedly clean and bright. The atmosphere, however, was a slightly different story. Some of the battle hardened champions and summoners had a hard time trusting one another, glaring at each other with hard looks. Others were a lot more carefree and created a ruckus with their cajoling. It was basically an amalgamation of people who could either barely trust each other, or care less about it, thrown together in one room. The one thing they all had in common with one another was that they were all here for a drink.

Diana slid herself on an empty barstool at the counter, waving over the wiry mad scientist. Singed, who was in the middle of polishing a glass, slinked over to take her order. He gave her a funny look over his mask as she ordered his signature Insanity Potion (Thankfully a completely different recipe that the one he induced upon himself).

"I heard about what happened at Gragas' bar." He commented as he began making her drink. "Good job putting them Demacians in their place. Though I don't know why you still go there all the time, Graggy Ice isn't that worth it."

Diana shrugged in response, taking a long drawl of the steaming drink Singed placed in front of her. Although she wasn't exactly allied to any one faction, it didn't exactly surprise her that due to her methods and personality, she was slightly more welcome here than the with opposing alliances. She was shaken out of thoughts when someone pulled out the seat next to her own, slamming a coin down on the table, demanding, "I'll have what she's having."

Diana barely looked up from her drink in response, instead she calmly asked, "Long day?"

Katarina placed her head in her arms. "Like you wouldn't believe." She grumbled. "Who the hell let these novice summoners graduate at all? They're beyond terrible and all they do is use illusion magic to place me in skimpy outfits."

Diana tutted, "Well I can't disagree that they're absolutely incompetent, but at least in the situation of outfits you're better off than Riven is."

Katarina merely growled in response, chugging her drink that had arrived. "Is there anything stronger than this?" She remarked, making a face.

"Why are you so determined to get absolutely smashed? We all encounter terrible summoners every so often." She lowered her voice slightly, adding, "Besides, wouldn't you be told off by a certain someone if you get too drunk?"

"She wouldn't care." Katarina seethed, anger clearly evident in her tone.

Diana raised an eyebrow at the reaction, "Woah there, trouble in paradise?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." The assassin snapped, glaring at the bottom of her empty drink glass.

"Because I am sooooo curious about your personal love life." Diana drawled, tone dripping with sarcasm. "Your lovers' quarrel interests me so much. I am so interested in everything you two do."

"I don't want to hear that from someone who can't even get laid."

Diana reddened, rendered momentarily speechless. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"The fact your girlfriend won't put out for you must be a contributing factor to your amazing social skills."

"That has nothing to do with anything" Diana remarked, trying to change the topic, waving Singed back over to order another drink for the fuming Noxian. "But at the very least, you look like you need another another one of those."

Katarina gratefully accepted the drink that was placed in front of her, downing half of it before staring thoughtfully down at the rest of the crimson brew swirling in the glass. When the barkeeper walked out of earshot to serve another customer, she finally spoke. "She's been cold and distant lately."

"The ice queen!? No way." Diana couldn't help making another sarcastic response. Call it force of habit. Needless to say, the glare the Sinister Blade fixed her with wasn't exactly unexpected.

"This has never happened before. This is different. She's never been so detached before and she won't tell me what's going on. She's pretty much ignored me and pushed me away for no reason." Katarina's frustration at the circumstances were extremely evident. Diana had never seen the other woman so worked up over the thought of another person before. "This is just driving me insane because for the first time I really don't know what I've done wrong, and I'm aware of a lot of wrong things I've done. This is so stupid. Why do I even care so much!?" Katarina let out an exasperated sigh.

"This is going to sound really stupid coming from me, but have you talked to her about it?"

"Have I!? I've tried asking her multiple times but get this: Miss Words-are-just-as-powerful-as-actions brushes me off and tells me it's nothing when it's obviously not. Women are stupidly complicated."

"Maybe she's PMSing." Diana remarked, not sure what else to say. Comforting others wasn't really her specialty.

"I'm pretty sure I'd be able to tell. This is just different. It's never ever happened before." The assassin reiterated.

"When did it start?"

"About a little over a week ago." The question got Katarina thinking. Perhaps this wasn't an issue with her, and maybe it was one induced by something else. She wracked her memory, trying to come up with a recent event that could have caused such a drastic change in Ashe's demeanour. This turned out a lot more difficult than she thought it would, as she paid little to no attention to current events and happenings. She was more of one who acted on things as they happened and made themselves aware to her. Events that didn't involve her were often overlooked. Her sister was far better at keeping track of such things than she was anyway. However one particular event suddenly surfaced in her memory.

"The Ice Witch." Katarina said at last. "She'd been like this ever since the Ice Witch arrived at the Institute."

The Ice Witch was the newest addition to the League. Her real name was a mystery, she was supposed to be a Freljordian myth, and yet here she was, among the champions of the League. What she was here for was also a mystery. No one knew anything about her. Or so she thought. Perhaps the Frost Archer knew more about the new arrival than she let on. Maybe she knew the Ice Witch's identity. Maybe...

"You don't think it's a previous lover, do you?" Katarina exclaimed in panic, "You don't think perhaps there is a history between them that Ashe isn't telling me."

"Maybe." Diana agreed.

Katarina glared at the moon warrior, "You're really bad at this talking business. You're supposed to reassure me of otherwise."

"Hey, you suck at it too. No need to get all hypocritical. "

Katarina crossed her arms and huffed.

"Well..." Diana continued, "At least, if there's one thing we're good at, it's taking action instead of using words..."

"What are you implying?"

"I'm saying if Ashe won't give you any answers, we should go find out for ourselves."

* * *

The surprised look Cassiopeia gave her sister wasn't exactly uncalled for. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Katarina to seek Cassiopeia for information, in fact it wasn't uncommon for anyone to. The half serpent saw and heard things many overlooked. She lived for information and gossip. Intelligence gathering was her specialty. What Cassiopeia didn't expect, however, was to see her sister with the Scorn of the Moon in tow. Katarina wasn't very well known for making friends, so seeing her in the vicinity of another human being without holding th contempt was a bit shocking to say the least. She stored that little tidbit of information in her mind. She didn't know too much about the inhabitants of Mount Rakkor, exiled or otherwise. Her sister might have unwittingly opened a new channel of information for her.

"Sister. Diana." She greeted each curtly. "What brings you here?"

"Information. May we come in?"

Cassiopeia slithered aside to let the two into her room. Instead of chairs, her room was furnished with soft lounge style seating that was easy to lean into, probably a lot more comfortable for the half serpent to seat herself in. Cassiopeia motioned for her guests to take a seat.

"What do you want to know?" She asked at last when everyone had made themselves comfortable.

"The Ice Witch. What do you know of her?"

Cassiopeia stroked her chin thoughtfully. "She's new here, so I really don't know much. What is it you need to know?"

"Anything you can tell me."

Perhaps it was the desperation in her sister's tone that got Cassiopeia thinking. She picked her next words carefully, unsure of whether she would spark something she didn't want to if she wasn't careful. "Is this about the Frost Archer?" She asked tentatively.

Katarina pursed her lips, her brow creasing with her growing frown. "You knew." It wasn't a question. She wasn't surprised, to say the least, but she also wasn't happy about it.

Cassiopeia hissed uncomfortably. Her elder sister's wrath was something she wasn't too keen on being on the receiving end of. "Worry not, you are my sister. I can read you more easily than others are able. I didn't glean the information from an external source, only from my own personal observations." She shifted awkwardly in her seat as Katarina's glare remained unchanged, "I haven't told a soul, if you're wondering. I thought you would appreciate that."

Katarina bit her lip, "... Whatever. What can you tell me about the Ice Witch?"

"Not any more than what I know from hearsay and legend." Cassiopeia took a swig from a nearby pitcher of water before continuing. "For centuries her existence was a myth. There are ancient Freljordian tales of immortal beings called the Frozen Watchers. Sinister creatures. They grant power for a price. Tales talk of the Ice Witch being in league with them, betraying her people to them. She isn't supposed to exist. From what I understand, the stories of her were often told to frighten young Freljordian children into behaving."

"So that could mean maybe Ashe is acting funny in that maybe it's because her childhood horrors have come to life and are now here to haunt her?" Diana suggested.

"That doesn't make sense. That sounds nothing like her." Katarina replied, still frustrated. Things were still not adding up.

"Well that's all I'm able to tell you, I'm afraid."

Katarina sighed. She had hoped Cassiopeia would have more information for her than that but at least it gave her some background information. She stood, making to leave, Diana tailing behind. They were halfway to the door when Cassiopeia's words stopped them.

"She's different. Isn't she? Ashe, that is. I've never seen you like this ever before."

Katarina hesitated mid step, not responding.

"You do know the perils of keeping such a relationship, don't you? Not just for you but..."

"I'm aware, Cass, thank you very much." The Noxian assassin responded curtly without turning around.

"Good luck then. Be careful sister." Cassiopeia responded. "Oh and Diana, feel free to visit again." She added with a smile. Diana couldn't help but note the similarities between the two sisters in that aspect. They may be completely different in many ways, but they had the same cheeky, knowing grin that suggested more than their words let on.

"Yeah, sure..." Diana replied warily as she followed the redhead out of the room.

"That was a lot more useless than I anticipated." Katarina noted with a slight tone of defeat. "I thought she would have more for me to go off of. I feel like we're still at square one."

"Maybe not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"You have a match tomorrow afternoon, right? On my team I think?" Diana asked. She didn't usually care about her teammates, but circumstances were a little different when it involved her friends(? That was still a weird concept to her). "I think I vaguely recall the Ice Witch being drafted onto the enemy team. Perhaps we can find out more information during tomorrow's match."

Katarina sighed, "I don't know what else there is that we can find out that Cass doesn't already know."

"It's worth a shot." Diana shrugged.

Katarina regarded the former Solari with an indistinguishable expression. "You have no reason to still be here and yet..."

"Better than you having to run around like a headless chicken through all this... Or should I say headless cat?" The last comment earned Diana a light punch to her upper arm. "Besides, I sort of owe you one anyway." She added quietly.

"I didn't intend to collect on that, but if you feel so inclined to aid, just don't get in my way."

"Touchy~"

* * *

Diana and Katarina were summoned to the waiting lobbies at approximately the same time. Their summoners were probably slightly impatient as they were the only ones in the room besides Vi who was lightly dozing on the provided couches.

They didn't need to wait much longer for the arrival of the rest of their team, as the air shimmered and Sona and Vayne materialised into the room. The former played a sort tune in what, Diana could only assume, was a greeting. Likewise, the Night Hunter gave the pair the slightest nod of acknowledgement.

Diana didn't know Vayne well, but from what she could tell, the grim Demacian didn't seem to like her very much. Then again she seemed to have a deterrence from all things magical and not-quite-good. Still, the woman was extremely reliable and could almost always be counted on in a match, so they often got on just barely enough to cooperate.

Vi stirred from her nap as soon as she heard more people arrive. "Morning." She greeted groggily, rubbing her eyes before she picked up her gauntlets and began to strap them on. "Looks like we have a good line up today."

Vayne nodded in response, of all the people in the group besides Sona, Vi seemed to be among the few that the surly woman seemed to tolerate.

"Hey, did y'hear that the Ice Witch is going to be on the other team? I wonder what she's like."

Vayne rubbed her chin, "I had a match against her last week. That witch is troublesome. Her damned ice sorcery is enough to render you immobile."

"Well that just means I'll have to smash that ice." The Enforcer grinned, locking her gauntlets into place.

Conversation ceased when the five champions felt the pull of summoning magic. The familiar feeling of their world distorting around them overwhelmed them as they were transported to the fields of justice.

Diana turned to Katarina, "I think you'll be against the Witch. I double checked the roster last night. Their team consists of Riven, Master Yi, Graves, Karma and the Ice Witch. From the sounds of it, they'll probably place the witch in your lane. This is perfect opportunity for you. Just remember to be careful."

"I'm always very careful." Katarina retorted before taking off towards the central lane.

Not surprisingly, Diana had been correct in her assumption, and Katarina was left to fight the mysterious witch, leaving Diana to duke it out with Riven. The two fighters had been trading back and forth, absorbed in their small skirmishes when suddenly Diana felt a wave of emotions through the team's mental connection. Moments later, the first kill was announced, going to the Ice Witch.

"_What happened?_" Diana inquired through the link when she felt Katarina regain consciousness.

"_That crafty bitch. I can't get close to her._" Katarina cussed, sending waves of anger through the link.

"_Do you need help?_"

"_I can take care of myself."_

"_I'm coming to help next time Riven makes herself scarce."_

Diana ignored the string of cusses directed at her. She watched her opponent teleport back to her base before she began to pick her way down the river in the direction of where she could sense Katarina and the Ice Witch fighting.

As the two came into view Diana could immediately see the problem in their matchup. The way the witch conjured ice made it a problem for Katarina. As mobile as the assassin was, the witch used her ice to slow the assassin, occasionally freezing her on the spot. Diana winced as the witch even managed to disrupt a flawless death lotus, and then somehow warped to another location out of Katarina's reach.

Even from her spot in the bushes, Diana could feel a cold chill that seemed to permeate from the witch. The witch herself was almost like a sculpture, carved from dark ice. She even carried herself like a statue, standing inhumanly still when she was idle. Diana felt a shiver run down her spine, there were few people that could unnerve her, but this sorceress made Diana feel extremely uncomfortable.

Diana watched for an opportunity to jump in, spotting one when the Witch engaged on Katarina. Diana entered the fight, barely managing to dodge an ice spike aimed at her face, before retaliating with her own lunar energy. She aimed a slash at the Witch's neck, fully expecting to connect, only to stagger off balance when her blade met empty air.

"What the f-"

A strangled scream from behind Diana erupted and was cut off almost immediately after, causing her to whirl around, weapon at the ready. She found that she had reacted far too slowly, as the Witch had already taken advantage of the confusion to warp past the warrior and had frozen Katarina solid. From how wounded the assassin was from the previous exchanges before Diana's arrival, Diana had a feeling the redhead probably wasn't alive in there anymore. Sure enough the kill was announced seconds later.

Diana assessed the situation quickly in her mind, the Witch didn't seem fatigued in the very least, but having just output all her magic on Katarina, she probably wouldn't be able to able to defend herself as well. The magic inhibitors placed on the fields would ensure that. Pulling up a barrier of lunar energy to protect herself, Diana engaged once again, this time her sword hitting true. She wasn't sure what was more unsettling, the eerie screech of metal meeting ice or the lack of an observable reaction from the Ice Witch. Either way, when her small victory was announced, Diana felt thoroughly discomforted.

The match continued onward, Katarina struggling the entire early game, only being able to catch up later on by targeting people other than the witch. The ice that the Ice Witch commanded posed a major problem for the assassin who had to rapidly learn to adapt her fighting style in fights with the mystery Freljordian. The goal for their team in most fights quickly turned to them having to protect Vayne in their skirmishes, whose silver bolts tore through the enemy defences. Sticking with this strategy, their team barely managed to pull through with a victory.

The ten champions reemerged on the summoning platforms in the exiting lobbies, each slightly worse for wear, muttering customary th congratulations to one another. Diana quickly took the opportunity to pull Katarina aside.

"We should follow her." Diana muttered, watching as the Ice Witch left the room without another word, leaving a slick trail of ice in her wake.

Katarina nodded in response, teeth slightly chattering from the chill she had suffered on the fields. The nature of her fighting style tended to put her right in the centre of most of the action, which also resulted in her taking most of the brunt of enemy attacks as well if she wasn't careful. Diana had been slightly more wary than the redhead and was only dusted with a thin later of frost and ice, while Katarina seemed to be suffering from a mild case of frostbite.

"So one thing's for sure." Katarina whispered as she rubbed her hands together vigourously, trying to regain their warmth. "She creeps the hell out of me."

"Me too." Diana replied, "You okay there? One would assume you'd be used to the cold."

Katarina smirked, "Well Ashe, for one, retains heat."

"I don't want to know how you found that out."

The assassin suddenly halted, putting a hand up to slow their progress, before tugging the white haired warrior with her under the shadows of a nearby statue. The pair watched from their hiding spot as the frozen witch turned into the Freljordian corridors and into one of the first doors.

"Well that was absolutely pointless." Diana deadpanned, a little bit disappointed end that their adventures ended so fruitlessly.

Katarina put a finger to her lips, signalling for Diana to be quiet. The assassin cocked her head slightly, trying to listen to something that Diana couldn't hear. Suddenly, the redhead vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Diana blinked, trying to relocate her companion, finally catching sight of her in the shadows of another statue. Initially it looked as if she was grappling with an invisible opponent, but upon further inspection Diana could make out another person shrouded in the darkness. She took a peek around, looking for observers before dashing over to next statue.

"Why were you following us?"

Now that Diana was within earshot, she could also make out who the mysterious person was. Ninja certainly lived up to their legend of being difficult to catch, but Katarina was a special case.

"I wasn't following you, we just happened to be trailing the same person." Akali replied cooly, hardly looking shaken with a blade at her throat. Though to be fair, her kamas were also poised dangerously close to Katarina's bare neck as well.

The two women continued to stare daggers at each other until Diana tentatively cleared he throat. "Yeah guys, I can totally feel the love going on here because you guys are clearly getting along so well. Maybe instead of ripping each other to shreds, we can compare notes? Since it seems we're kind of on the same page?" Diana had to mentally laugh at the absurdity of the situation. _Her_, acting as a moderator of sorts between people. She never thought she'd live to see the day.

Akali, not surprisingly, was the first to back down, slowly lowering her weapons, not relaxing until Katarina also followed suit. The ninja's eyes flicked between the two, distrust shining in her eyes. Clearly she wasn't sure whether or not it would be a wise decision to trust the pair. That was alright, Diana wouldn't trust herself and Katarina either, were she in the ninja's shoes.

At last, Akali pulled down her face mask and spoke. "It's not safe to talk here in the open."

* * *

A safer place apparently turned out to be Akali's bedroom, her's being the nearest of the three. Thankfully no other Ionians were out and about at the time to need to explain what business the Kinkou heiress had with the Sinister Blade and a heretic. Unsurprisingly, Akali's room was sparsely decorated. An Ionian banner above the headboard of the bed was the only immediately obvious decoration.

The ninja wordlessly pulled two stools over to the bed before sitting down on the mattress. Her visitors looked from one another before respectively taking a seat on the offered stools.

Was it just Diana's imagination, or was she spending a lot of time having discussions in other people's bedrooms as of late? Diana glanced around the room, not sire what to focus her attention on, after all, she was more of a tag-along than anything else. Her gaze settled on the bed Akali was seated on, only just noticing the shape of something large buried beneath the messy green sheets. Diana blinked in surprise when a large feline-like tail poked out from the covers. She didn't recall Akali owning any pets.

It was Katarina who first broke the awkward silence, pulling everyone's attention to her, "Why are we here? What is it you can't say in public. Why were you following the Ice Witch?"

"I hardly think you're in any position to negotiate, Sinister Blade. After all, I'm not required to tell you anything just as well as you aren't required to tell me why YOU were following the witch as well."

Even from a distance, Diana could hear the assassin grind her teeth in frustration. Not wanted to have any part in the possibly ensuing explosion, Diana refocused herself to staring at the tail swaying idly from beneath the sheets. Come to think of it, the patterns on it looked vaguely familiar.

Katarina took a deep break before she spoke again, "My last match against her did not go well. I'm just doing a little observation." To her credit it was a rather convincing sounding excuse, the only issue being that Diana still had no reason to be there as well. Both women being on the slightly more antisocial side. They could only hope that maybe the ninja had noticed they had began to become more friendly with one another and merely accepted the matter as it was. It wasn't really an issue for people to know they were friends(? Still weird), but Ashe and Katarina's relationship remaining secret definitely was. The less they had to explain, the better.

Akali seemed to accept the answer, nodding knowingly. She began her explanation slowly, as if trying to pick out exactly what to tell them. "The Kinkou exist to maintain the balance between harmony and chaos. Our job is to asses anything that my disrupt this balance and bring judgement upon them. Something is stirring in the north and it is my job to find out whether this threat needs to be neutralised or not. 'Pruning the tree' so to speak."

"Uh huh, and I assume there's a catch for you telling me all this? I mean I doubt you're going to just let Katarina Du Corteau and a Solari exile just waltz away with free info." Diana briefly looked up at the mention of her, until the bundle on the bed stirred, and a furry head poked out from under the comforters. Diana almost yelped in surprise when she found herself face to face with startling green eyes and a mouthful of fangs. Her curiosity had brought her forward in her seat, resulting in her being too close for comfort with a large cougar. The feline regarded her with mild interest at first, then it seemed to decide Diana wasn't worth its attention. It rolled over on the spot, resting its large head on Akali's lap.

The ninja barely acknowledged the new presence, continuing on the conversation, "Actually yes. I would like to make a proposal with you. I would like you to give me any and all information on this Ice Witch that you can get or observe."

"So you want me to work for you." Katarina replied, her tone laden with dissent.

"Not so much, for as it will be with me than for me." Akali absentmindedly began scratching the cougar behind the ears, who responded with a contented purr. It wasn't that Diana was that much of an animal person, but something of tinge large creature was familiar that made her couldn't stop staring. Strange considering she never could recall anything in her mind about Akali taming an animal. She wracked her memory, frustrated that the reason seemed to be at the tip of her tongue.

"So then what's in it for me? What do I get out of all this?"

"Nidalee!" Diana's outburst startled everyone in the room turning all eyes on her. Diana blushed, she had been so absorbed in thinking, she had forgotten her surroundings.

The aforementioned huntress lifted her head, her ears perking at the mention of her name. Then with a mischievous glint in her emerald eyes, almost as if she was smiling, the shape shifter changed forms. Coarse gold fur gave way to smooth dark skin, revealing the prone -and very nude- figure of the Bestial Huntress. Without skipping a beat, Akali calmly tossed a sheet over Nidalee, apparently used to the brunette's antics. A muffled throaty chuckle sounded from under the blanket, indicating her amusement.

"You're trying to find out information about the Ice Witch as well, are you not? I can't imagine what you intend to do or find out, but I have done my fair share of research as well." Akali continued the conversation, to her credit, she was staying remarkably calm even when a pair of arms wrapped around her torso, slender fingers toying with the hems of her emerald uniform. Diana and Katarina exchanged a bemused look when the ninja swatted at lightly at one of Nidalee's hands as she spoke. "In return for any information you can give me, I can tell you what I have managed to unearth as well."

Katarina regarded the Ionian with an expression of distrust. Diana couldn't blame her. Their allegiances clashed often enough, making the strange offer all the more sketchy. Akali sensed this and switched tactics. "Look, okay. You don't trust me, and frankly I shouldn't be placing as much trust in you as I am now. Call me crazy, but I how about this instead: I tell you what I know and then you can decide whether you want to help me or not."

"You're not afraid I'll rat you out to the Witch instead?"

"Oh please, after watching your match with her today? Hardly." Akali ignored the assassin's pointed glare. "What do you think? I'm not desperate for your help, but you still are being dealt the better hand here."

"It depends what information you have to give me."

"Lissandra. I have reason to believe that the Ice Witch's name is Lissandra." The solemn manner Akali had stated the fact comically contrasted the ninja's surroundings, as Nidalee had practically draped herself on the ninja's shoulders.

The name meant nothing to Diana, but when she looked over to Katarina, the assassin seemed to vaguely recognise the name. She seemed to be thinking over the fact presented at her, screwing up her face in thought. "You don't mean..." She began slowly, realisation dawning on her face.

Akali nodded, "Of the Frostguard. You know I'm a little surprised you're aware of the politics of the North."

Katarina seemed to completely ignore the ninja's comments, completely focussed on mulling over the new information. Diana watched, amused as the assassin's face turned from one of deep thought into that of determination.

"I um... Gotta go." The redhead abruptly shot up from her seat and made for the door. Just before exiting, she turned around and added, "You have yourself a deal, Fist of Shadow." And with that, she slammed the door behind her, leaving behind a very bewildered Diana.

"I guess I told her what she needed to know..." An awkward silence filled the room. "... Would you, uh... like some tea?"

* * *

Katarina wasn't sure what she was expecting when she broke into Ashe's room. It was probably not one of her brightest ideas. It wasn't as if she hadn't done it before, but this would be her first time doing so without Ashe knowing. Which actually posed quite a few problems. She wouldn't know if Tryndamere was in for the day, if Ashe was even there like she needed, or if she would even show anytime soon of she wasn't. In retrospect, it was a really stupid idea that she hasn't thought through at all until she was halfway through the window of the bedroom that the royal Freljordian couple shared. So she did what any logical person in her situation would do; She decided 'to hell with that' and entered anyway.

Thankfully, the barbarian was nowhere to be seen, but neither was Ashe. Katarina took a few wary steps and took a glance around the room, taking care not to disturb anything by accident. It seemed she was alone. She had wanted merely to talk with the archer, but in her haste and her lack of consideration, she now found herself in the very odd situation of being alone in the bedroom of the leaders of a foreign region. Normally she wouldn't have made such a rash judgement with so much room for error, but the situation and her relationship could hardly be considered normal at all. However now that she as here alone with nothing to do, Katarina was now faced with multiple options: She could take her chances and wait, hoping that the next person that walked through the door would be the Frost Archer (and soon, she didn't want to have to sit around for hours with nothing to do), she could leave and come back later when she was sure it was just Ashe alone, or she could just forget it altogether and ask the other woman to talk when the opportunity next presented itself. Though, Ashe had been so distant as of late and dismissive of Katarina, the assassin decided she would have her talk today, whether the Queen wanted to or not. Now came the question of whether she should wait or come back. She didn't really want to fancy her chances at whomever came through the door next, so perhaps she should try again later.

Katarina was just about to make her way out back the way she came when she heard the sound of muffled voices and a doorknob turning. In her pondering, she had paced the room and she was now across the room from the window she had came into. With literally milliseconds to make up her mind, Katarina concluded that although she was fast, she probably wouldn't be fast enough. With that in mind, she decided that her best bet would be to hide, disappearing and re-materialising among the rafters not a moment before the door to the room opened.

"That's weird, I distinctly remember closing the window before I left this morning." Tryndamere muttered gruffly before slamming said window shut. Katarina mentally strung together a series of colourful curses for the Barbarian King, him having shut her only exit from the room. She had been planning on sneaking out while their attentions were occupied.

"You must have forgotten." Ashe replied from the doorway. The archer looked exhausted and battered, probably having just finished a match. She spoke again after a moment, her tone just as tired sounding as she looked, "Are you going out again tonight?"

"After such a long match? Of course, a man's gotta wind down somehow. Why? Do you have company tonight?"

"No, I'm just a bit tired, I'll likely be taking to bed early tonight."

"Alright, don't expect me back tonight." Tryndamere gathered a change of casual robes and wandered into the attached bathroom.

"When do I ever?" Ashe snarked back in reply.

The barbarian poked his head back into the room, an amused expression on his face, "Someone's been touchy lately. Are you sure you're alright?" He asked before resuming changing.

"I'm fine. What makes you think I'm not?"

"Oh I don't know... You haven't been out as much, and you've been a little more irritable as of late." Tryndamere replied before stepping out, adjusting his tunic. "What do you think?"

"The blue one you have is better." The archer replied. Tryndamere twisted his mouth into a slight pout before retreating back into the bathroom. Ashe chuckled at the normalcy of the conversation they were having, "You know, it's funny. We've dealt with each other for so long it almost feels like we're an actual couple."

"This one?" Tryndamere reentered the room with a different tunic, giving himself a once over as Ashe gave him an approving nod. He smoothed is shirt down and continued, "Which is exactly how I can tell there's something wrong. I think you need to unwind a bit, and THAT I can help you with." He grinned, a cheeky suggestive smile on his tanned mug.

Katarina gritted her teeth, and suppressed the urge to draw a blade and slay the barbarian where he stood, League laws and oaths be damned. Thankfully (for his sake), Ashe shook her head, lips drawn thin in mock disgust, "Gross... No thank you. And remove that helmet when you're not on the rift why don't you. I would rather not have you representing me and my people looking utterly tasteless."

Tryndamere guffawed, pulling off the metal helm, "I was merely joking, dear queen. Besides you and I both know I not any other man will be able to please you."

An amused expression danced across the archer's visage as she fought off smile, "Oh? And what makes you think that?"

"Any woman can resist my charms must be batting for the other team." Tryndamere answered simply, flexing his bicep to emphasise his point.

Ashe let out a short laugh, "And you wonder why I'm not interested. In fact, I wonder how you've managed to beguile so many women with that attitude of yours."

"I'm just that irresistible. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some women to _beguile._" The barbarian joked as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as the door closed, the slight smirk dropped from Ashe's face. Crossing her arms, and tapping her foot expectantly, she turned her attention upwards. "Katarina, I can see you up there, stop hiding."

Katarina cussed, she had forgotten how good the archer's eyesight and attention to detail was. Of course she would be able to spot her, even shrouded in the shadows. At least, now that Ashe was alone, Katarina no longer had a reason to be hiding.

"Care to explain why you're sneaking around in my bedroom?"

"Care to explain why you've been ignoring me lately?" Katarina crossed her arms.

"I haven't been ignoring you, I've just been busy."

"Busy doing your head in about Lissandra, right?"

Ashe froze. "What are you talking about?"

Aha. That was it. This was what Katarina was aiming for.

"You can't fool me, I'm trained to see fear and hesitation. I'm right aren't I? Lissandra, this Ice Witch, is what's got you giving me the cold shoulder." Katarina began pacing a circle around Ashe, seeming much like a predator stalking its prey.

At every mention of the Ice Witch's name, Ashe grew visibly more uncomfortable. "I really have no idea what you're trying to say, Katarina."

"Really? Do you not? Let me spell it out for you then. You're scared, aren't you?"

Bingo. The look on the Freljordian's face told Katarina everything she needed to know. The assassin continued to circle Ashe, but the Queen no longer followed her movements. Instead a far away look with the slightest signs of distress showed on her face.

"Lissandra of the Frostguard. She's supposed to be an ally of yours. She swore fealty to you and the Avarosans. I'm surprised I remember myself, but I guess it's a pretty big deal when small little tribes band together and are suddenly numerous enough to be a force to reckon with. And yet here she is, as the Ice Witch, the frozen woman of legend that people tell tales of to scare children. You _must_ be wondering what she is here for without telling you."

Katarina made her move, completely taking the archer by surprise when the Noxian wrapped her arms around the other woman's in a gentle embrace.

"You're scared."

No response or movement came from Ashe. Katarina hoped she hadn't gone about this topic in the wrong manner, and that the whole thing might backfire and blow up back in her face. Well, too late to turn back now. She braced herself as she went on.

"You're scared, and it's okay."

The words almost seemed to make the archer deflate in her arms. Ashe's body shook a bit as she adjusted herself to bury her face into Katarina's shoulder. Katarina moved her hand to gently rub small comforting circles on Ashe's back, her other hand tangling and toying with white tresses.

"Once, many many years ago, I was given a task. My first assignment actually. I was assigned to assassinate an officer. I thought the task was far to mundane, too lowly for the likes of me, the daughter of the great General Du Corteau." Katarina let out a bitter laugh before she continued in her monologue. "I let my pride cloud my judgement. While staking out my target, a Demacian General arrived and immediately I jumped on the opportunity for fame and recognition. I slew him instead and left my original target alive. Who knew that decision would eventually come back to bite me in the arse?

"The low ranking officer turned out to be a tactical genius. He was large talked of and was under scrutiny for a fast promotion up in the rankings. Noxus heard of this and of course the decision was made to neutralise him before he became a threat. My decision to not pay full attention to my briefing and to kill a separate target cost us the lives of many soldiers in an ambush the very next day.

"I swore to fix my mistake, and well long story short... You did always ask me where I got my scar." Ashe by now had stopped trembling and seemed far more relaxed. "What I mean to say is that, duty and emotions are two desperate matters. When duty is required of you and in battle there is no room for emotions, but right here and now, it's just the two of us. Duty is not as important as your emotions. Here you aren't Ashe, the Ice Queen of Freljord. You're not Ashe the Frost Archer on the Fields of Justice. You're just Ashe, that's allowed to be scared and vulnerable."

They had gone a long way since the beginning of their relationship for them to even reach this level of understanding of trust where Katarina could openly admit this all and mean it.

Ashe felt the weight and meaning of the words as well, pulling away every so slightly to wipe her face. Katarina politely looked away to salvage the Queen's pride. The archer cleared her throat slightly, speaking tentatively at first.

"You suck at telling comforting stories."

Katarina blushed, "Well. I can't see you doing much better."

Ashe sniffed a bit, still recovering slightly, "I can actually." She left the redhead's grip and sat down at the end of her bed, patting beside her for the other woman to sit. Once seated and comfortable, she began her tale, "When I was young, we children were told many tales. Some of great wars, years of suffering, horrors like the Ice Witch, among many others. They were passed down within my tribes for many generations. One such tale that particularly took my fancy was the legend of the three sisters of Freljord, the original tribe leaders. They ruled Freljord together. United.

"I knew even when I was young that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to unite the Freljord into the powerful nation it once was instead of what it is in its current divides state. Freljord is broken. Broken by wars and too many years of pointless rivalry. Of course, many didn't agree with my ideas, and at some point it grew out of hand to the point where my people thought it would be best to perform a coup de tat and topple me over.

"Do you know what I did that night? I ran. I ran for my life because I was scared. Along the way, I was cornered but through some_ divine providence_," Ashe practically spat the word out, "I was granted Avarosa's bow. It served as powerful enough of a symbol for my tribe to rethink my integrity as ruler.

"Do you understand, Katarina? I was handed this responsibility. I ran and yet I was given this chance to prove myself. It's a very gracious gift, indeed, but some days I can't help but wonder if it would have been better for me to stand my ground and die trying. What if I'm not the leader Freljord needs?

"Everyday my actions are under scrutiny. The allies I make, the laws I impose, everything. Everyone is keeping a watchful eye on me, waiting for me to make that mistake that will prove I'm nothing but a fraud granted my title on a silver platter. It does indeed scare me deeply."

Ashe cradled her face in her hands for a moment. Katarina placed what she hoped was a comforting arm over the archer's shoulders. It seemed to work as she looked up and took another deep breath.

"I've known for some while that Lissandra was the Ice Witch. Her initial swear of allegiance with the Avarosans struck me as strange. She had never shown any sign of agreeing with my ideals prior to her appointment. I have visited the Frostguard on a few occasions, and I've managed to see enough and gather enough information discreetly to make the connections. I don't know her motives, but I am sure they are not the same as mine. I've kept an eye on her for the past few years but I haven't been able to discover much. Now that she is here, at the League, I have all the reason to worry. She intends to make her move soon, and I am afraid of what it might be."

Ashe signed deeply, and for the first time, Katarina noticed how exhausted the queen looked. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes looked so devoid of the life the assassin always saw in them. "It's just a bit much sometimes. When the whole of Freljord is watching you and you feel like everyone else is against you, watching you to make your mistake and fall."

Ashe trailed off and rested her head on Katarina's shoulder. Katarina wrapped her other arm around her lover as well. She didn't know what else to say, but she felt that Ashe had felt much better after letting all of that out. A comfortable silence settled in.

"The whole bow incident isn't the reason why you're cold is it? And once said you used to be blonde and never told me the story. Is that the same story?" Katarina asked playfully after a moment.

"That." Ashe smirked, "Is a story for another time."

Katarina pouted (she wasn't THAT interested, but it was always entertaining to poke a little fun at the archer).

Ashe laughed and pulled Katarina closer. "Now is of utmost importance as I do think a certain barbarian won't be coming back tonight."

Katarina grinned and stole a quick kiss, "Well, isn't that unfortunate?"

* * *

I've always liked the idea of Diana and Katarina being drinking buddies who get into shenanigans together and then secretly talk about their feels.

And I'm pretty sure I read something from a rioter about the fact that Lissandra is in the League without disclosing her name and is only known as the Ice Witch. At least, I think I did. I usually get my information from Surrender at 20 or Reign of Gaming because I'm not one for sifting through massive amounts of forum posts.

Also the use of b**** in this chapter actually makes me feel awkward because I don't cuss but I felt it appropriate because Kat.

Holy poop, I can't believe I wrote this whole chapter on my phone. Scientific Procedure was about half half, with me transferring back and forth between computer and phone. Sorry if I make a lot of typo derps because my thumbs are dumb and the app starts lagging post-3k-words or so. My tenses are probably all over the place along with perhaps some autocorrect derps. I shouldn't be allowed to write when I'm tired. Or maybe I just shouldn't write at all. (Opening notes and a majority of this was started a few weeks ago. I'm just slow like that.)

Hm, I also have discovered that the talk they had at a certain point bears slight resemblence to the new chapter of Wounded but I swear that was an accident. I saw the update and was motivated to finish writing this chapter to reward myself with reading the new chapter. qq


End file.
